Sorting Through the Wealth of Notions

Abstract

Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and James Morrow of Stanford University's Hoover Institution argue that logical consistency is the most important criterion in testing any theory. Without logical consistency, they contend, the other two criteria for judging a theory's usefulness—degree of originality and empirical validity—cannot be determined. Formal methods, they contend, ensure that scholars construct theories that are logically consistent.