The Rational Choice Approach To Religions Behavior :: essays research papers fc

What Are The Main Strengths and Weaknesses of The Rational Choice Approach To Religions conduct?One of the pioneers of the rational choice theory has been Gary Becker.He states that this approach stinkpot be use to all human behaviour, including piety. This approach has three assumptions. It assumes that commonwealth engage inmaximising behaviour. When applying this approach to theology we are notconcerned with money. We are concerned with the maximisation of personalbenefits. When we make a decision we weigh up the costs and benefits and choosethe option which offers the near benefit. Secondly, there are trades thatwith varying degrees of efficiency allow the actions of different participantsto business together in effect(p)ly. Thirdly, prices and other merchandise functionscan affect demand and supply, peremptory desires and affecting the actions ofconsumers. Becker explains that price is not described in money monetary value but as ashadow price. For example, muslims ca nnot drink alcohol.This approach involves quad theorems. Firstly, a rise in price reducesthe quantity demanded. The example he gives is if people have to put more timeand effort into having children then less people will do so. Secondly, a risein price increases the quantity supplied, the example given is women in thelabour market. Thirdly, competitory markets are more efficient thenmonopolistic markets and lead to the diversity of a product. Fourthly, a tax onthe output of a market reduces that output eg the punishment of criminals is atax on crime.Finke and Iannaccone have applied this theory to religious behaviour andunderstand that the lavishly degree of faith in America is attributed to theexistence of a free market and whence competition and diversification inreligion. Finke argues that in a free market start up costs are low and thisleads to new ideas and more diversity and therefore more chance of everyonefinding a religion they like. Also in a competitive free marke t earning aliving acts as an incentive to clergy to work harder and try to tailor theirreligion to suit the demands of the consumer. He also suggests that statemonopolies are less efficient in the absence of competition and believes thatstate churches would therefore allow in high spirits costs.Bruce highlights some weaknesses of this theory. He states that theearly Christian church had very high startup costs eg persecution and this didnot prevent the recruitment of new followers. On the other hand, according tothe maximisation theory, the benefits must have outweighed the cost of the brat of persecution or no-one would have joined. Bruce criticises the theorem