[EM] RE : Re: Are proposed methods asymptotically aproaching some limit of utility?

Michael Poole mdpoole at troilus.org
Tue Mar 13 20:19:40 PDT 2007


Abd ul-Rahman Lomax writes:

> At 05:56 PM 3/13/2007, Kevin Venzke wrote:
>> > The problem is that we have this idea of
>> > exaggeration. But why would one exaggerate?
>> > *Because they care.* In other words, it is not an exaggeration.
>>
>>You can similarly say that if I rob a bank at gunpoint, I must have
>>genuinely needed the money.
>
> This conversation is bankrupt.
>
> Yes, if I rob a bank, at gunpoint or otherwise, I obviously have 
> sufficient motivation to take the very substantial risks involved. 
> What's the point?

Take a voter who thinks candidate A is the best, B is bad, and C is
the worst.  His best estimates of normalized utility might be A=1,
B=0.2, C=0.

If the ballot asks for scores based on how much a voter likes the
candidates, then a vote with B=0 is insincere: the voter is not
answering what the ballot asks for.  However, if the ballot asks for
something else, it could be a sincere vote.  What instructions do you
think a range voting ballot should give voters?

Michael Poole



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