Tabela de conteúdos
Theory of Games and Economic Behavior
| John von Neumann and Oskar Morgenstern |
Formulation of the Economic Problem
Economics is far too difficult a science to permit its construction rapidly, especially in view of the very limited knowledge and imperfect description of the facts with which the economists are dealing (p. 2)
The arguments often heard that because the human element, of the psychological factors, etc., or because there is - allegedly - no measurement of important factors, mathematics will find no application, can all be dismissed as utterly mistaken. Almost all these objections have been made, or might have been made, many centuries ago in fields where mathematics is now the chief instrument of analysis. (p. 3)
chap 2
We wish to concentrate on one problem which is not that of the measurement of utilities and of preferences - and we shall therefore attempt to simplify all other characteristics as far as reasonably possible. We shall therefore assume that the aim of all participants in the economic system […] is money.
Robinson Crusoe's model reduces economy to an ordinary maximum problem where there is only one agent with none endogenous impact. Not a single datum with which he has to deal reflects another person's will or intention of an economic kind.
The problem must be formulated, solved and understood for small number of participants before anything can be proved in the case of a large number. Example showing that statistics help working with a very large population, in the case of thermodynamics.