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> Where is the dictatorship, precisely? In Social Choice Theory, "dictatorship" is defined by the "social" choice always matching the most preferred alternativ
by nanis 5y ago
> Where is the dictatorship, precisely?
In Social Choice Theory, "dictatorship" is defined by the "social" choice always matching the most preferred alternative of an individual (or, sometimes, as "social preferences" always matching the preferences of an individual.
- woodruffw 5y agoSure, but just to be clear: the "dictator" in SCT is a particular mathematical model for preference selection. It doesn't imply a political dictator, and it isn't a necessary condition for SCT -- there are plenty of non-dictatorial preference selection systems. It's not clear from his actual positions that Rawls would favor a dictatorial model, or that he even accepts SCT (which predates his academic output by ~40 years) as a decision substrate. Put another way: "worst off" isn't a blindly overriding position for Rawls; we can all recognize ways in which we would be the "worst off" but also not entitled to preferential treatment via the Original Position (Eichmann at the gallows being an intuitive example for most people).
- nanis 5y ago> It doesn't imply a political dictator, Who cares when the set of allowable things are defined by what would be best for people who are worst at it?