[EM] The "Turkey" problem

[Dave Ketchum]

On Thu, 29 May 2003 10:59:08 -0700 (PDT) Forest Simmons wrote:

> 
> On Wed, 28 May 2003, Dave Ketchum wrote:
> 
> 
>>... you seem to describe your subjective ratings as objective.
>>
> 
> In the context of political elections utilities are more or less
> subjective, but it is easy to construct scenarios (i.e. games) for which
> the utilities (i.e. payoffs) for the voters (i.e. players) are precise
> objective amounts of money.
> 
> It may be useful to clarify the "turkey problem" in such an idealized
> context first, and then adapt the results to the more realistic contexts
> taking into account the effects of the idealization.


Agreed that subjective ratings can be useful, which is what I hear in your 
words.

So the worth values used in this thread are well and good as demonstrating 
why a voter who agreed with those values would agree with the suggested 
responses.

Other voters could assign different worth values as they evaluated the 
candidates.  These differences would justify different responses.

Seemed to me that this second possibility did not get the emphasis that it 
deserved - my reason for the responses I offered.

> 
> [In physics sometimes it is useful to ignore friction in the first
> approximation, and then modify the results by considering friction as a
> perturbation of the conservative results.]
> 
> Forest

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   Dave Ketchum    108 Halstead Ave, Owego, NY  13827-1708    607-687-5026
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