This book investigates how normative decision principles can be adapted to govern nonideal agents operating within nonideal, real-world circumstances. Paul Weirich, a philosopher specializing in decision theory, bridges the divide between abstract utility maximization and the practical constraints of human psychology. By formulating principles that account for cognitive limitations and environmental complexity, the author provides a framework for rational choice that remains applicable to actual human decision-making processes.

Experts recognize this work as a significant contribution to the formalization of realistic normative standards in decision theory. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which is intended for scholars and advanced students of philosophy and logic.