Three Analyses of Sour Grapes

Abstract

The phenomenon of adaptive preferences-sometimes also known under the name of sour grapes-has long caused a stir in Social Theory, mainly because of its importance in the debate over utilitarianism. The question of preference change has been considered by decision theorists and, more recently, logicians. The former phenomenon seems a natural candidate for application of the latter theories. The fundamental question of sour grapes is: what is it that changes-the agent's beliefs or his utilities? The aim of this paper is to consider the replies that decision theorists and logicians can offer to this question. Besides the interest of the phenomenon as a case study for theories of change, it raises two general points. Firstly, besides a belief change and a utility change, there is a third possibility for the source of a given change in preferences: a change in the decision-maker's perception of the choice he is faced with. Secondly, traditional methods for eliciting beliefs and utilities do not function well in cases where several situations are involved and the relations between the agent's attitudes in the different situations are at issue. An elicitation method is sketched which purports to deal more adequately with such cases. Although based on independent motivations, it provides another argument for the importance of taking into account how the decision-maker perceives the choice he is faced with. 2.1 What is Sour Grapes? 2.1.1 The Phenomenon and the Challenge In La Fontaine's fable, the fox approaches a tree, attempts to reach the grapes, and, realising that he cannot, turns away, saying to himself that they were sour. This phenomenon, which goes under the name of adaptive preferences or sour grapes, has long caused a stir in Social Theory, mainly because of its importance B. Hill GREGHEC, HEC Paris and IHPST.