Attention, Awareness and Economic Behavior

摘要

This paper uses cybernetic models including Beer's viable system model to articulate a biological basis for economic behavior based on the attachment theory of John Bowlby and the sociological analysis of risk by Ulrich Beck. Starting with the basic relationship articulated by Oliveros's deep listening between attention and awareness, a mechanism of attachment between viable individuals and their environment is suggested. The model is then used to explain a simple instance of economic behavior and a broader characterization of the difference between commodities and services. In conclusion, we argue that the model might be useful in unpacking the economic processes of the risk society and shed a rational light on apparently irrational behavior.