[EM] Kevin, 20 March, '05, 0300

[MIKE OSSIPOFF]

> >As a first
> >guess, I suggest: "If a majority of all the voters vote A in first or 
>equal
> >first, and B in last or equal last, then B mustn't win." If that doesn't
> >resemble Mike's intention
> >
> >I reply:
> >
> >...and it doesn´t resemble WDSC.

The [...] that you left out was probably the part where I mentionied that 
Plurality passes your proposed WDSC substitute.

I asked you then, and I ask you again: What method fails your criterion?

>
>But it implies WDSC, is easier to check, and doesn't allow silly methods of
>compliance.
>
>I reply:
>
>When you say that your criterion implies WDSC, you mean that compliance 
>with it implies compliance witih WDSC. That doesn't mean that your 
>criterion is valuable, or should be considsered as a substitute for WDSC.

Above you call WDSC a "minimum requirement for a barely adequate method."
So why would you doubt that my *stricter* version of WDSC is valuable or
useful?

I reply:

It isn't clear why you think that your criterion is "stricter" than WDSC, 
since your criterion is met by Plurality, and pretty much any method. What 
method doesn't meet your "stricter" criterion?

I agree:

Actually, I don't believe WDSC or my stricter version are very useful.

You're certainly partly right: Your "stricter version" isn't useful, 
certainly not useful for distinguishing between the merit of different 
methods, unless you can find a method that fails it.

It isn't entirely clear in what sense you think that your criterion is a 
version of WDSC.

As for the usefulness of WDSC: What's useful to you depends on what you want 
to use things for.

WDSC is one of a set of criteria that are about the need for a majority to 
use strategy in order to protect majority rule or the win of a CW. WDSC, in 
particular, is about circumstances in which it can be guaranteed that a 
majority won't need to reverse a preference.

It's perefectly possible that you don't understand why it could be useful  
or desirable to guarantee that people won't need to reverse a preference. In 
that case, we have nothing to discuss, and, as you said, my criteria aren't 
useful to you.

I suggest that that concludes this discussion.

Mike Ossipoff

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