ABSTRACT
In the concept of social decision making, vague commitments of a normative and political nature are translated into specific commitments to one or more specific courses of action. Since decision making includes an element of choice, it is the most deliberate and voluntaristic aspect of social conduct. As such, it raises the question: To what extent can social actors decide what their course will be, and to what extent are they compelled to follow a course set by forces beyond their control? Three conceptions of decision making are considered here with assumptions that give varying weights to the conscious choice of the decision makers.
