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This introductory chapter first sets out the book's purpose, which is to argue that, just as in economics and law, normative democratic theory must begin to pay attention to the picture of human choice described by empirical psychology. Thus, it develops a behavioral approach to normative democratic theory. The book focuses on judgment-based theories—those that construe votes as judgments about the common good (or collective interest), rather than as individual preferences over electoral outcomes. It also focuses on framing effects, which occur when different but equivalent formulations of a problem result in substantively different decisions being made. An overview of the subsequent chapters is also presented.

As hearers came to recognize the demands that godly communities made on their adherents, they might understandably ask why anyone would want to take on religious obligations so clearly at odds with what most townspeople considered appropriate (not to mention at odds with the assumptions about human nature made by most twenty-first-century intellectuals). What, in the final analysis, could account for human choices? Hooker (and Stone) stood in a tradition, originating with Augustine of Hippo, which argued that individual choices stemmed from a fundamental orientation of the will. Their extreme form of Augustinianism decisively shaped Hartford theology.

This chapter offers a narrative retelling of the Iliad, followed by a discussion of the story's themes and emphases, and their importance for modern societies confronting the same issues. The Iliad cultivates the audience's capacity for critical reflection and rational judgment. It emphasizes the role of human choices from the outset, thus exposing the problem that rage poses for the community. The confrontation between Agamemnon and Achilles, their obsession with honor, their short fuses and willingness to indulge their own anger will have adverse effects for the community that has chosen to honor them. Homer's narrative reveals the inadequacy of vengeance and hints that empathy better serves an individual's self-interest. Above all, the Iliad calls into question the characters' narrow definition of great achievement as success in warfare.

This chapter discusses the concept of “transient mental illness.” It outlines the specific constellation of psychiatric, political, and social processes that are slowly leading to a new category of mental illness, namely the self-traumatized perpetrator. The chapter explains how the recycling of knowledge, institutions, and claims leads to new social phenomena and affect, while creating distinct possibilities for human choice and action.