The Undermining of Beliefs in the Autonomy and Rationality of Consumers

This book examines modern consumption, focusing on concepts of autonomy and rationality. The authors adopt a moderating perspective, reviewing and critiquing attacks on these concepts in order to work towards a more nuanced view of the consumer.

John O'Shaughnessy is Emeritus Professor of Business at the Graduate School of Business, Columbia University, New York. Nicholas O'Shaughnessy is Professor of Marketing and Communications at Queen Mary, University of London.

Part 1: The Renewed Interest in the Unconscious and Free Will - A Progress Report for Marketing 1. The Relegation of Free Choice and Free Will 2. The Dominance of the Adaptive Unconscious Part 2: Postmodernism: The Attack on all Aspects of Modernity and Rationality 3. The Claims made by Postmodernists 4. Central Philosophical Assertions of Postmodernism