American Political Science Review Vol.81 The Great Depression was a market phe- "Exogenous Factors in Economic Theory"explains nomenon.The great holocaust was per- the general perspective,"Utility or preference func- petrated by a hierarchy (the Nazi party) tions are central to neoclassical economics and are assumed to be given"(1985,470). that tolerated no rivals.The second great- 3.Michael Thompson and I are working on a est holocaust was perpetrated by egali- book,The Foundations of Cultural Theory,that will tarians (the Cambodian Khmer Rouge) attempt to demonstrate this proposition. (Jackson n.d.).Deadly visions as well as 4."Fatalistic attitudes are discernible in many virtues are also rooted in our public lives. Romanian literary creations,indeed even in folk- lore.The most famous Romanian folk ballad is Appraising the consequences of living 'Miorita,'or The Lamb.'It is the moving,beautiful lives of hierarchical subordination or of story of a Moldavian shepherd whose fellow shep- the purely voluntary association of egali- herds plot to kill him and steal his flock.Learning of tarian liberation or of the self-regulation the plan from his 'wonder lamb,'the young shepherd of individualistic cultures,at different makes no move to keep it from being carried out.He serenely accepts his fate,comforted by the thought times,on different continents,with dif- that he will be reunited with nature"(Shafir 1983, ferent technologies,languages,and 405). customs would be a remarkably produc- 5.Michael Thompson argues in favor of the tive research program.So would com- viability of his hermit category,a marketlike people who,however,seek subsistance rather than domina- paring cultures rather than countries or, tion,to escape(a)from manipulating others and(b) put precisely,comparing countries by from being manipulated themselves.I wish them contrasting their combinations of cul- luck (see Thompson 1982). tures.Such a research program would 6.A test of cultural consistency is provided by what March and Harrison call "Postdecision Sur- enable us to test the general hypothesis prise."When things go badly,the excuses should fit that how people organize their institu- the culture.The market-oriented should accept more tions has a more powerful effect on their personal responsibility than the members of a hierar- preferences than any rival explanation- chy;egalitarians should blame "the system"(see wealth,technology,class,self-interest, Harrison and March 1984). 7.Many more cultures can be conceived than tradition,you name it.The field of prefer- can be lived in.As Robert Lane says,"Although for ence formation is open to all comers. every act there is an implicit or explicit belief to justify the act,the reverse is not true;not every thought,fantasy,image,or argument is reflected in Notes behavior,especially since thoughts often rehearse alternative lines of behavior.The world of behavior, This essay is the presidential address presented therefore,is smaller than the world of thought;the on August 28,1986 at the 82nd annual meeting of two worlds are not isomorphic"(Lane 1973,97). the American Political Science Association. 8.Another common confusion is mixing up 1."Interest explanations are reason explana- egalitarianism with exclusive hierarchies because tions.That is,when we explain an action by point- they are both passionate and moralistic in defending ing to the interest that prompted,produced,or their strong group boundaries.The fervor of the motivated it,we allude not to a human cause but to exclusive hierarchy comes from its simplicity:only a a reason or ground for acting"(Ball 1979,199). small number of prescriptions are applicable to the Reasons justify our behavior to others. vast diversity of life forms.Deviance (and,hence, 2.See a perceptive paper by James March for a deviants)are excoriated.The difference is that list of "the properties of tastes as they appear in whereas egalitarians find society at fault because the standard prescriptive theories of choice."His list distances between people are too large,members of includes two properties of special interest:"Tastes hierarchies believe that the moral spaces are too are relevant.Normative theories of choice require small.The lack of complexity in small hierarchies that action be taken in terms of tastes."Yet,"tastes means that they are left without sufficient variety for are exogenous.Normative theories of choice pre- the objects they wish to control.Therefore,they get sume that tastes,by whatever process they may be rid of people who do not fit either by labeling them created,are not themselves affected by the choices as deviants or treating them as moral trash,thus they control."As March observes, "each of these removing them from those who deserve to be taken features of tastes seem inconsistent with observa- into account in making decisions.The alternative is tions of choice behavior among individuals and to co-opt more people by creating moral,and hence social institutions"(1978).Keith Hartley's paper social,compartments for them.Using variety to 18