理應快樂：賽局理論與生活之道

by Kaushik Basu, 考希克‧巴蘇, 蔡丹婷 (Translator)

人類的歷史是一場不斷說故事與自我欺騙的過程
為什麼我們活得愈來愈聰明、理性、高效，卻不快樂？

當代社會有一種微妙的矛盾：人類從未像現在這樣擁有選擇自由，我們幾乎可以決定一切：
可以選工作、選伴侶、選信仰，連吃什麼、愛誰、活成什麼樣子。但也從未這麼焦慮、混亂與懷疑自己。我們以為自己在追求幸福，實際上是在一場看不見規則的賽局裡，用理性默默攻略自己，說服自己，馴服自己。

太多時候，我們做選擇不是根據真實的需求，而是預測別人會怎麼想、社會會如何反應、制度將給出什麼獎懲。我們以為自己在選，實際上卻參與一場更大的賽局，是棋子，也可以是布局者。這正是為什麼這位哲人型經濟學家認為：此刻，正是用賽局理論重新看待人生的關鍵時機。

世界銀行與印度政府的首席經濟學家，一輩子最重要的思考：
如果理性可以挽救制度，能不能也拯救人心？

巴蘇是個少見的跨界學者。他出身印度加爾各答的律師世家，原本被期待繼承家業，卻在倫敦政經學院轉向經濟與哲學。他曾受教於諾貝爾經濟學獎得主阿馬蒂亞・沈恩，後來成為印度政府首席經濟顧問、世界銀行首席經濟學家，如今任教於康乃爾大學。他橫跨學術、制度與政策設計三界，一手握著理論，&#

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Economics

190 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 30, 2025

About the author

Kaushik Basu (born 9 January 1952) is an Indian economist who is currently the Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India and is also the C. Marks Professor of International Studies and Professor of Economics and, till recently, he was Chairman of the Department of Economics and Director, Center for Analytic Economics at Cornell University.


He is Editor of Social Choice and Welfare, Associate Editor of Japanese Economic Review and is on the Board of Editors of the World Bank Economic Review. In 2008, the Government of India awarded him the Padma Bhushan, one of the country's highest civil honors.

Reviews

[Peter McClintock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although there are only a few ratings for this book I think it deserves more than a 3. It's all about expectations. If you're looking for deep insights on happiness maybe it's a 3, but it's really a book about game theory. I found it interesting and thought provoking.

[Evie Coghill · Rating 1 out of 5]

not my cup of tea, didn’t really have a clue what was going on

[Dylan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book that shed light on how economics, psychology, and philosophy can make the world a better place.

I will not recommend it as an audiobook as there are a couple of diagrams.

[Via · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bagian "Corporation Guilt Shelter" dalam buku Kaushik Basu membahas bagaimana perusahaan sering kali menggunakan berbagai cara untuk menghindari tanggung jawab moral dan hukum atas tindakan mereka, meskipun tindakan tersebut merugikan masyarakat atau lingkungan. Basu menyoroti bahwa perusahaan besar sering kali beroperasi dengan cara yang memungkinkan mereka menutupi kesalahan atau menghindari konsekuensi dari tindakan mereka, menggunakan struktur hukum, birokrasi, dan komunikasi yang kompleks.

Konsep ini menjelaskan bagaimana perusahaan bisa menghindari rasa bersalah atau tanggung jawab melalui peraturan yang menguntungkan mereka atau dengan memindahkan tanggung jawab ke pihak lain, seperti kontraktor, cabang perusahaan, atau bahkan karyawan. Misalnya, ketika terjadi kerusakan lingkungan atau pelanggaran hak asasi manusia, perusahaan sering kali berusaha untuk menghindari hukuman dengan menyalahkan pihak ketiga atau mengandalkan celah hukum.

Bagian "Dear Nation" dalam buku Kaushik Basu adalah seruan reflektif dan kritis terhadap kondisi bangsa dan masyarakat saat ini. Basu berbicara langsung kepada pembaca dengan nada yang introspektif, seolah-olah berbicara kepada sebuah bangsa yang sedang menghadapi tantangan moral, sosial, dan ekonomi. Ia mengajak kita untuk melihat ke dalam dan mengevaluasi tindakan, kebijakan, dan pilihan yang diambil oleh individu maupun kolektif.

Basu menyoroti bahwa masalah yang dihadapi bangsa—seperti ketidaksetaraan, korupsi, dan konflik—tidak hanya disebabkan oleh kesalahan pemimpin atau sistem, tetapi juga oleh perilaku dan pilihan kita sebagai warga negara. Ia mendorong masyarakat untuk mengambil tanggung jawab bersama dalam membangun negara yang lebih adil dan berkelanjutan, bukan hanya mengandalkan pemimpin atau institusi.

Dalam "Dear Nation," Basu menekankan pentingnya kolaborasi, integritas, dan komitmen terhadap nilai-nilai yang lebih tinggi untuk membawa perubahan positif. Ia menyerukan agar kita tidak hanya menjadi penonton pasif dari peristiwa yang terjadi, tetapi juga menjadi agen perubahan yang aktif, dengan keberanian untuk menghadapi ketidakadilan dan memperjuangkan kebaikan bersama. Pesan ini adalah panggilan untuk introspeksi dan tindakan nyata demi membentuk masa depan yang lebih baik bagi generasi mendatang.

[Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

I created account on Goodreads just to write a review for this misleading piece of work. If you are expecting some psychological practical and fun guidance to change your perspective or see different point of views for a day-to-day regular men problems look elsewhere. Although the title and the description seem like it, you will actually get a bunch of narcissist pretentious mesiah wannabe person mindfarts. There is nothing that will help you change your perspective unless you are looking for a reason to value your own time and money that should not be wasted on things that do not add value to your life. This book will make you do a proper Google search or consult cmChatgpt next time you decide to buy a book. This book swings between a dairy with authors opinions/views/interpretations of certain historical events and personalities and list of semi-philosophical thoughts. I gave 2 stars just for the sake of authors ability to sell cr*p by misleading people. If I bought this book in my hometown I would go to return it and ask for a refund, but like this it will have to stay hidden on my bookshelf so that none of my friends or family sees it, as it is not worth spending both time on explaining to people what a waste of time reading it is, and fuel on driving it back to the store.

[Geert Bijloos · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title is somewhat misleading. I thought it would be more on individual happiness and lifehacks through reasoning. A light read also. The book is about revolutions and creating a better world for everyone. A much more Noble idea of course, just not what I was expecting. Pretty interesting though.

[Dizo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Esperaba una lectura de fácil comprensión, siento que mezcla muchos temas sin profundizar en uno en específico, a veces sentía que estaba leyendo filosofía, otras economía.

Me hubiera gustado que tuviera sus puntos más claros

[K I]

Misleading title, it’s a play on words, “Use” reason to be happy. Would be better titled something like “Theory /philosophy of global economics”. Not what I expected at all.

I don’t see anything in the book that helps being happy!

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too anti-God rhetoric for my liking.

[Gemma Meehan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting premise but didn’t use many real world examples eg of when being moral would acc be bad for collective good

[R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

作者講自身經歷的部分，比書本身要探討的主題讓人覺得快樂、有趣。例如第二章有一篇叫《你以為只有你有爺爺嗎？》

[Frédéric Bonin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not finish this book but did read about 2/3 of it. It started out interesting but then veered into something I didn’t enjoy.

The book is supposed to be about reasoning but felt more to me like a bunch of name dropping of authors, philosophers, academics mixed with the author’s own musings.

I don’t think it was the author’s intent but the tone of the book progressively felt insufferably academic and from a lifetime of privilege.

I was genuinely struggling to keep intellectually therefore I probably wasn’t the right audience anyway and chose to return the book to the library and not finish it which is rare for me.