This book investigates the foundational role of rationality within economic theory and questions whether economic explanations can remain valid without the assumption of rational agents. Maurice Lagueux, a scholar of economic philosophy, examines the historical development of the rationality concept and addresses contemporary critiques regarding its necessity. By analyzing the logical constraints of economic modeling, the author provides a rigorous framework for understanding how economists justify their explanatory models. The text serves as a critical evaluation of the standard neoclassical reliance on rational choice theory.

Experts identify this work as a significant contribution to the philosophy of economics, noting its dense and analytical approach to theoretical foundations. Readers frequently highlight the text as a rigorous resource for those interested in the intersection of economic methodology and epistemology.