The ignorant observer - HAL-SHS - Sciences de l'Homme et de la Société
Article Dans Une Revue Social Choice and Welfare Année : 2008

The ignorant observer

Résumé

We propose an extension of Harsanyi's Impartial Observer Theorem based on the representation of ignorance as the set of all possible probability distributions over individuals. We obtain a characterization of the observer's preferences that, under our most restrictive conditions, is a convex combination of Harsanyi's utilitarian and Rawls' egalitarian criteria. This representation is ethically meaningful, in the sense that individuals' utilities are cardinally measurable and fully comparable. This allows us to conclude that the impartiality requirement cannot be used to decide between Rawls' and Harsanyi's positions.
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Dates et versions

halshs-00177374 , version 1 (08-10-2007)

Identifiants

Citer

Thibault Gajdos, Feriel Kandil. The ignorant observer. Social Choice and Welfare, 2008, 31 (2), pp.193-232. ⟨10.1007/s00355-007-0274-8⟩. ⟨halshs-00177374⟩
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