Convention
Updated 2026-09-10
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
A convention is a regularity of behavior or belief that a group follows together, distinguished by two features: it is an arbitrary solution to a recurring coordination problem, and it is sustained because others also follow it. This separates conventions from mere behavioral regularities, from rules, from norms, and from institutions. David Lewis's analysis remains the standard starting point for the notion.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Analyze coordination: identify rules sustained only because others follow them, and look for interchangeable equilibria. - Assess change: estimate how many people must act in step to shift a convention. - Separate norms: distinguish arbitrary conventions from moral requirements rather than treating custom as duty.
Anchor fast decisions
Conventions are sustained by interdependent expectations: where a coordination problem has several equivalent solutions, each person chooses A because they expect others to choose A as well. Lewis characterizes this as an equilibrium of a coordination game plus common knowledge of that equilibrium. Because the solution is arbitrary, conventions differ from regularities backed by independent reasons, and that is also why they display inertia.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- plato.stanford.eduhttps://plato.stanford.edu/entries/convention/verified
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