Comment by DrNosferatu

2. In other words, your answer misses the mark. When economists talk about economic agents not acting rationally, they’re not claiming people make completely random decisions devoid of reason. They’re pointing out that real human behavior consistently deviates from the idealized "rational actor" model in predictable ways.

People exhibit cognitive biases, use mental shortcuts, are influenced by emotions, have inconsistent time preferences, and often lack complete information. These aren't rare exceptions - they're fundamental patterns documented in decades of behavioral economics research. Hence the books.

This isn't a retreat to a more complicated position - it's simply acknowledging that the simplified models have practical limitations, AND, benefit some people far more than others. The evidence for these failures is robust enough that even mainstream economics has incorporated behavioral insights.

Rather than hiding behind book recommendations, I'm happy to discuss specific examples of these systematic deviations from rationality if you're genuinely interested in the substance of the argument.