José Luis Bermúdez

Should values and decisions be influenced by how people frame the outcomes they confront and the choices they have to make? The orthodox view in psychology and behavioral economics, for example, is that any such influence is fundamentally irrational. This project argues against this orthodox view by applying insights from philosophy and related areas of the humanities. Drawing on examples from Greek and Shakespearean tragedy, ethical dilemmas, group identification, social coordination, and practical psychological problems such as exercising self-control in the face of temptation, “The Power of Frames” illustrates how frame-sensitivity is an integral part of rational decision-making.