[EM] A few Richard replies

[MIKE OSSIPOFF]

Richard referred to my definition of voting X equal to Y "Mike's special 
definition".

No, it isn't my special definition. In effect, I said that you vote  X equal 
to Y if you vote for both without voting one over the other. That isn't 
"special". It's obvious.

Richard said:

FBC: For some set S of ballots, if R is the set of results that can occur 
when ballot B is added to S if candidate X is given the highest ranking on 
B, and R' is the set of results that can occur if ballot B is added to S 
when candidate X is not given the highest ranking on B, then either X is a 
member of R, or R' is a subset of R.

I reply:

Why not just say that either X might win if B ranks X highest, or else B 
ranking X 1st can make any result that B not ranking X highest can?

Saying that R is the set of results that can occur when B is added to S if X 
is ranked 1st on B, and that X is in R, instead of just saying that X can 
win if  ballot B ranks X highest, isn't more mathematical, though maybe it's 
more pretentious.

There seems to be a popular notion that belaboring what one writes in order 
to use mathematical terns & symbols makes it mathematical.

Mathematics of course is useful in many ways, and that apparently is why 
some people like to wrap themselves in its trappings.

I'd previously felt that if Richard's definitions appeal to Richard thent 
they might appeal to others who judge criteria as Richard does. Maybe, but I 
now don't believe that that has any value. Anyone can understand the value 
of FBC, in its original wording, which speaks to a familiar and obvious 
concern.

As  I said, I don't claim to know whether Richard's "FBC" is really 
equivalent to FBC. But Richard's zero success-rate with his eight other 
criteria that were sloppily supposed be equivalent to the majority defensive 
strategy criteria suggests that there's no reason to believe that Richard's 
"FBC" is equivalent to FBC.

Richard said that FBC can be defined without saying "favorite". But no one 
has given a reason why it's more desirable to not say "favorite" or "prefer"

Apparently the list is temporarily down. If there's anything that I haven't 
replied to, that's why.

Mike Ossipoff

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