[EM] [CES #4429] Looking at Condorcet

[robert bristow-johnson]

On 2/2/12 2:07 PM, Kristofer Munsterhjelm wrote:
> On 02/02/2012 05:28 AM, Jameson Quinn wrote:
>
>> I honestly think that honest rating is easier than honest ranking.
>> (How's that for honesty per square word?) MJ is the only system which
>> allows honest rating to be full-strength in practice; and SODA is the
>> only good system which allows anything easier. (And no, approval is not
>> easier than MJ, because approval forces some amount of strategizing.)
>
> As a contrast, to me, ranking is easier than rating. When I'm set to 
> rate, I tend to think about whether I rated the candidate just right 
> or not - did I rate him too high, too low?

precisely.  that's something that an Olympic judge needs to worry about, 
but not a voter.

and then the other issue is, when we are in the voting booth, we are not 
just judges.  we are *partisans*.  suppose it's a Score ballot and two 
candidates. even if i think that both Candidates A and B are "okay", but 
i decide i like A better, would you expect me to rate A a "10" and B a 
"9"?  NO!  i will not attenuate my vote: A gets 10 and B gets 0.  once i 
decide i like A better, i want to exercise my entire franchise to help A 
defeat B, even if i wouldn't be so disappointed if B was elected.

and then, with 3 or more candidates, the tactical problem is: how much 
do you score your 2nd-choice given two competing goals?  you don't want 
to help your 2nd choice beat your 1st choice, but you also *do* want to 
help your 2nd choice beat your last choice.

"oh me oh my, oh me oh my!  what to do, what to do?!!"

Approval has the same problem.

> - but if I rank, I don't have to care about that. All I have to do is 
> get a general idea of the order of preference, and then ask "do I like 
> X better than Y or vice versa".

and that's  all you have to worry about in a simple-majority, 
2-candidate, one-person-one-vote election.  except for that there are 
more candidates, it should be no different for multiple candidates.
>
> Maybe I'm uncommon,

no.

> but I thought I would say it. I've heard the claim that rating is 
> easier than ranking before, and maybe it still is -- to most people.

i don't believe it.


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"Imagination is more important than knowledge."