Interpretation and Rational Choice*

INTRODUCTION THE INTERPRETATION OF TEXTS AND OF BEHAVIOR is closely related to the rational choice explanation of action. In this article I try to bring out two aspects of that connection. I first ask whether we can enhance our understanding of a literary text by assuming the rationality of its creator. In novels, for instance, things often happen “for a reason”—be it a reason for the author, for the characters, or for both. The assumption of rationality can remove opacity. I then ask whether, when we try to account for behavior, the rationality of the agents might not be an obstacle to explanation. When they claim to be motivated by this or that aim, they may do so “for a reason” that is self-serving rather than truth-seeking. If we assume rationality, the behavior may appear more opaque rather than less. I shall understand interpretation as proposing and verifying hypotheses about meaning. Interpretation thus understood is a form of explanation rather than, as is often assumed, a mental operation that is contrasted with explanation.1 Some readers might accept that claim when ap-