The Rational Means-End Schema as a Tool for Empirical Analysis of Social Action

The paper starts with an argument for the necessity of a clear definition of rationality. Concepts are defined by content (their meaning) and by area (the corresponding objects). As concepts are understood as tools, they need to be defined according to their purpose. In economics and sociology, rationality serves for the analysis of action choices guided by reasoning. This implies conscious reflections. For an adequate judgment, the observer and the actor need to have the same knowledge. A further criterion is the possibility of verification, which means that the ends of rational action must be real, not transcendent.