Persistent practices are held in place by conditional preferences about social costs
Evidence
But most persistent harmful practices are not held in place by pure preference. They are held in place by a web of conditional preferences: I do this because I believe everyone else does it, and I believe that if I stop, I will face social costs — disapproval from family, neighbors, teachers, pastors — for deviating from the norm. This is what Bicchieri means by a norm. The practice exists in social reality, not merely in individual psychology. — , The Rod and the Child, 7322
Categorization
- DEFINE: Clarifies Bicchieri’s precise sense of ‘norm’ as a conditional-preference structure maintained by belief about others’ approval.
- XREF: connects to: A defining habit can characterize a person economically — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 372; Foot-binding and FGC persisted as game-theoretic equilibria, not cultural preference — , The Rod and the Child: A Global History…, 7331; Cultural change can follow institutional change rather than precede it — , The Rod and the Child: A Global History…, 2237 (+4 more)
Broader Connections
- Effective power requires asymmetrical preferences over avoidable alternatives
#expands(0.85) — Niklas Luhmann, Trust and Power, 620 - Foot-binding and FGC persisted as game-theoretic equilibria, not cultural preference
#exemplifies(0.80) — , The Rod and the Child, 7331 - Cultural change can follow institutional change rather than precede it
#complicates(0.55) — , The Rod and the Child, 2237 - A defining habit can characterize a person economically
#expands(0.50) — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 372