Ma`rifat Eqtesadi

The theory of consumer behavior in conventional microeconomics is based on the primacy of the individual; that is, all analyses begin with the individual and end with the individual. The “economic man,” as one of the fundamental assumptions of consumer behavior theory in conventional microeconomics—who is self-interested and acts rationally—emerges under the influence of methodological individualism. On the other hand, methodological individualism has led to the neglect of the influence of social structures and institutions in shaping economic behaviors. In contrast to the individualistic approach, which gives complete primacy to the individual, and the socialist approach, which emphasizes the influence of social structures and institutions, an interactionist approach can be proposed, which considers the relationship between the individual and society as reciprocal rather than giving full primacy to either. Furthermore, by utilizing the philosophical foundations of Allameh Tabataba’i’s perspective, one can propose principles regarding the nature, essence, and epistemic dimensions of human beings, which can serve as the foundations and assumptions of a theory of Muslim consumer behavior. Based on these principles and assumptions, the hypothesis-deductive method can be used to develop a theory of Muslim consumer behavior. In this study, we concluded that, depending on the development level of the rational and practical faculties, self-interest in individuals occurs in degrees. That is, the more developed the rational and practical faculties are, the weaker the self-interest; conversely, the less developed these faculties are, the stronger the self-interest. Accordingly, the indifference curves of a Muslim consumer, derived from the above relationship, exhibit varying slopes.