ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we address the promises and pitfalls of rational decision-making models. For better or worse, rational choice is held up as the gold standard and tends to color our assessments of other decision models covered in later chapters. Rational decision-making involves deeply considering all of the possible reasons that each option might be a good or bad choice. In addition to being willing to change their mind, rational voters must be near demonic consumers and evaluators of information to the point where they cannot allow any personal biases or preconceived notions to affect their decision. This chapter describes how William R., our rational voter, arrived at his choice in 2016. But what happens when voters fail to follow a rational strategy? We conclude by discussing how decision-making under uncertainty complicates the rational process.
