Thanks to Ellis Krauss for his comment on "rational choice." I think our difference is besides the point that Curtis wanted to make (which is the culture is not an excuse for doing bad things--which I think we all agree with).

But to clarify, is your point a terminological one; that Curtis' argument, with his desire to find some place where choices can be made in disregard of cultural context, is not an example of "rational choice"? That I misapplied the term to his argument? If so, what do we call such impossible scenarios where choices are made outside of cultural context?

That Meg McKean is able to reconcile choice and culture, where Curtis has to oppose the two terms, is interesting. Two very different uses of the "rational choice" label. Indeed, McKean makes choice dependent upon cultural context (or other exogenous factors), a position that is much more in line with most social science. It is only the folks like Tepco apologists who want to collapse these--not any serious academic position I know.

McKean writes: "Rational choice analysis assumes that preferences and utilities of individuals come from somewhere (exogenous to and prior to the rational choice model) and that cultural values make an important contribution to people's utility functions."

David Slater
Sophia U.