Well stated, Forest! It's worth re-emphasizing that using the Condorcet Criterion to evaluate a method does not mean one automatically considers the Condorcet Method to be the best election method. Some on this list have pointed out that there are instances where an Approval winner may be more socially desirable (using admittedly very subjective criteria) than the CW.
It has also been pointed out that the best way of resolving cyclic ambiguities is, well, somewhat ambiguous. This is to be considered when advocating a Condorcet method. Also, some methods have simplicity advantages over Condorcet. None of this is to necessarily argue for or against using Condorcet methods, just to point out that methods satisfying the Condorcet Criterion are not automatically sacred and above reproach in comparison with other methods. Donald seemed to accuse me of using the illogic that "A method is only good if it is identical to the one that I prefer." Finally, among methods that do not always elect the CW (if it exists) one can still try to determine how frequently a method will flunk the Condorcet Criterion, or what circumstances will lead to the election of somebody other than the CW. Brams and Fishburn, the elder statesmen of Approval Voting, perform just such an analysis in their book, and nobody can accuse them of thinking Condorcet is the only acceptable method in the world. Alex ---- For more information about this list (subscribe, unsubscribe, FAQ, etc), please see http://www.eskimo.com/~robla/em
