[EM] Meta-criteria 9 of 9: Conclusion

[Jameson Quinn]

2010/5/7 Michael Allan <mike at zelea.com>

> Jameson Quinn wrote:
> > ... I also hope that I start more than one productive discussion -
> > productive enough to change my mind about some aspects of what I
> > said.  My ultimate hope is that this kind of discussion will help us
> > have the perspective to recognize, to design, to evaluate, and
> > finally to begin to agree on the best possible voting systems. The
> > more big-picture perspective we have and share, the more we will
> > become an activist force with which nations must reckon.
>
> You propose a far-reaching critique of voting practice.  I agree this
> is needed.  But if a critique is to be far reaching, then it must also
> (you will agree) be broadly and firmly grounded.
>

My motivation for writing this essay was that I felt that much of existing
voting theory is, of course, valuable, but in some sense ungrounded. That
is, there are systems and criteria, but not enough explicit work on
connecting those criteria to their final goal. Since my work is intended to
open a debate on what goes "underneath" most existing theory, it doesn't
have much grounds of its own. That said, of course it owes a debt to many,
in particular to Warren Smith as regards outcome utility analysis and to
Peter Le Blanc for his contributions to typifying strategy.

>
> You propose a number of evaluative criteria in 8 separate threads.
> Where do these criteria come from?  Are they part of a body of voting
> theory?  How broadly and firmly grounded is that theory?  (A critique
> of theory may precede that of practice, if you allow.)
>

I've attempted to give a succinct and exhaustive list of underlying values
that a voting system might try to further, as well as a few of the most
common and/or important heuristics people use as proxies for those values.
Though clearly others have been through this territory long before me, I am
not aware of any prior attempts to map it out in this fashion. I encourage
criticism or other contributions in this direction.

JQ
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