Re: [EM] When and how can we speak of "individual utility" and "social utility"?

At 01:59 PM 3/1/2007, Michael Poole wrote: >You did not specify a method for the runoff election. There are two >candidates in the result set I specified; it might itself be the >runoff. If the method for the runoff cannot be Range Voting, it is >inappropriate to claim that Range satisfies the M

Re: [EM] When and how can we speak of "individual utility" and "social utility"?

Abd ul-Rahman Lomax writes: > At 05:28 PM 2/28/2007, Michael Poole wrote: > >>I suggest you re-read what I wrote. This rambling has nothing to do >>with what I wrote. > > I'm glad. Which is not at all an incentive to reread what Mr. Poole > wrote I did not intend what I wrote to be a comment

Re: [EM] When and how can we speak of "individual utility" and "social utility"?

At 05:28 PM 2/28/2007, Michael Poole wrote: >I suggest you re-read what I wrote. This rambling has nothing to do >with what I wrote. I'm glad. Which is not at all an incentive to reread what Mr. Poole wrote I did not intend what I wrote to be a commentary on his writing, but simply to be w

Re: [EM] When and how can we speak of "individual utility" and "social utility"?

Lomax says: But we should not let this distract us from the fact that utility analysis is really the *only* approach to judging how well election methods perform, it is not like we have other methods competing with it. Election criteria might be considered such methods, but they are clearly in

Re: [EM] When and how can we speak of "individual utility" and "social utility"?

Abd ul-Rahman Lomax writes: > At 07:57 AM 2/28/2007, Michael Poole wrote: >> > Aggregating utilities, however, is obviously not such a simple thing. >> > But we should not let this distract us from the fact that utility >> > analysis is really the *only* approach to judging how well election >> >

Re: [EM] When and how can we speak of "individual utility" and "social utility"?

At 07:57 AM 2/28/2007, Michael Poole wrote: > > Aggregating utilities, however, is obviously not such a simple thing. > > But we should not let this distract us from the fact that utility > > analysis is really the *only* approach to judging how well election > > methods perform, it is not like we

Re: [EM] When and how can we speak of "individual utility" and "social utility"?

Abd ul-Rahman Lomax writes: > How to define individual utility in election methods is not > necessarily a problem: the voter defines it. They system provides a > means to express such utilities. > > Aggregating utilities, however, is obviously not such a simple thing. > But we should not let th

Re: [EM] When and how can we speak of "individual utility" and "social utility"?

How to define individual utility in election methods is not necessarily a problem: the voter defines it. They system provides a means to express such utilities. Aggregating utilities, however, is obviously not such a simple thing. But we should not let this distract us from the fact that utilit

Re: [EM] When and how can we speak of "individual utility" and "social utility"?

I commend Jobst for his essay [ http://lists.electorama.com/htdig.cgi/election-methods-electorama.com/2007-February/019584.html ] on utilities. It helps clarify some issues about utilities and the often abused notion of social utilities. Utility functions are just a way of representing preference

Re: [EM] When and how can we speak of "individual utility" and "social utility"?

Martin Bailey suggested "maximise the probability of minimising harm" as the method to combine utility functions into a single social decision. For something like this to work, there would need to be a reference point as the question then becomes, "minimise harm relative to what?". Anywa

[EM] When and how can we speak of "individual utility" and "social utility"?

Hello folks! Attention: this is quite a long posting that deals with the fundamental question of when and how it is possible to define the terms "individual utility" and "social utility" in a meaningful way. In particular, I try to make clear when and when not the sum of individual utility valu