interpersonal comparisons Quick reference
A Dictionary of Economics (5 ed.)
...interpersonal comparisons Comparing the welfare of one individual with that of another. The welfare level of an individual is measured by a utility function . Utility can be ordinal so that it is no more than a numbering of indifference curves. An ordinal utility function can be subjected to any monotonic increasing transformation, f , without changing its meaning: the initial utility function U and the transformed utility U * = f ( U ) are equivalent. Utility is cardinal when the initial utility function U is equivalent to the transformed function...
interpersonal utility comparisons Reference library
Dictionary of the Social Sciences
... utility comparisons Many theories of social welfare recognize that concepts of welfare or well-being ( utility in economic terms) differ among persons and societies, but nonetheless require that comparisons between these concepts be possible. Utilitarianism is a prominent example: the goal of maximizing the sum of the utilities of all individuals in society requires a quantifiable common measure of well-being; similarly, the Rawlsian concept of justice seeks to maximize the welfare of the most disadvantaged individuals in society (see John ...
interpersonal comparisons
interpersonal utility comparisons
2 Corinthians Reference library
Margaret MacDonald and Margaret MacDonald
The Oxford Bible Commentary
...348–50 ). In v. 13 Paul offers an interesting insight into the nature of the comparisons the Corinthians were making. ‘Madness’ here perhaps refers to religious ecstasy ( Furnish 1984 : 308 ). His rivals probably displayed ecstatic experiences in public, and accused Paul of failing to produce these experiences as evidence of his apostleship. Paul seems to be claiming that ecstatic experiences should be reserved for private worship ( cf. 12:1–7 ). The text invites comparison with 1 Cor 14:18–19 where Paul claims to speak in tongues frequently, but where...
The Necessity of Renewing Islamic Thought and Reinvigorating Religious Understanding Reference library
Nurcholish Madjid
Liberal Islam: A Sourcebook
...in him. What then is the tangible form of that sublime character? None other than actions (or ‘amal ) and deeds that are harmonious and consonant or salih [appropriate] in their comprehensive relationship with the living environment, especially in interpersonal relationships. . . . But how does man understand and know the Godcreated laws that control the domain of life, whose vastness is unlimited? Since the universe is limitless, the laws which govern it must also be limitless. Such indeed is the case: God's laws repose...
Introduction to the Pentateuch Reference library
G. I. Davies
The Oxford Bible Commentary
... ( 1983 ). This actually has very little to say about the Pentateuch—it is mostly about the Deuteronomistic History. But in it Van Seters draws numerous comparisons between Old Testament history-writing and comparable literature from other cultures, and he particularly emphasizes the similarity with ancient Greek historians such as Herodotus, who lived in the fifth century bce . From these comparisons Van Seters argued for a greater appreciation that the Deuteronomistic History was a literary work whose author was ready to write creatively where his...
Judges Reference library
Susan Niditch and Susan Niditch
The Oxford Bible Commentary
...chronology but of the subsequent monarchic periods as well. Israel's fortunes depend not upon pragmatic matters such as economic strength, political unity, or military preparedness but rather upon the health of the covenantal relationship with God. Notice the language of interpersonal relationship through which covenant is expressed. Israel ‘abandons’ YHWH ( vv. 12–13 ) to follow other gods, especially the Canaanite Baal and his consort. YHWH in turn becomes ‘angry’ and ‘incensed’ with them ( vv. 12, 14, 20 ), while they ‘lust after’ these foreign gods ( v....
cardinal utility
equal sacrifice
ordinal utility
James Griffin
collective choice
Arrow's impossibility theorem
high and low involvement
Pareto principle
cardinal utility Quick reference
A Dictionary of Economics (5 ed.)
... U generates the transformed utility function U* = a + bU , where b > 0. The utility function U is cardinal if the functions U and U* represent the same set of underlying preferences. An example of cardinal utility is an expected utility function. See also interpersonal comparisons ; ordinal utility...
equal sacrifice Quick reference
A Dictionary of Economics (5 ed.)
...and measurement of sacrifice. One possibility is that there should be an equal sacrifice of consumption but this could be in absolute or proportional terms. An alternative is that the sacrifice is measured in utility terms, but this raises difficult questions about interpersonal comparisons of utility. See also ability to pay...
Griffin, James Reference library
Roger Crisp
The Oxford Companion to Philosophy (2 ed.)
...James ( 1933– ). Moral philosopher best known for work on well-being , interpersonal comparison of well-being, and consequentialism. His first book was Wittgenstein's Logical Atomism (Oxford, 1964 ). In Well-Being (Oxford, 1986 ), Griffin argues for an ‘informed-desire theory’: well-being consists in the possession of those objects one would desire if rational and informed. These are accomplishment, the components of human existence (autonomy, basic capabilities to act, etc.), understanding, enjoyment, and deep personal relations. The...
Pareto optimality Reference library
D. W. Haslett
The Oxford Companion to Philosophy (2 ed.)
...for purposes of this criterion, a person is ‘better off’ with some alternative A rather than B if and only if this person prefers A to B . An advantage of this criterion is that it provides a way of evaluating alternative social states that does not require interpersonal utility comparisons. Prof. D. W. Haslett Allen Buchanan , Ethics, Efficiency, and the Market (Totowa, NJ,...
