Social Choice Theory

Comparison Essay # 103919

Philosophy
Sociology > Theory

This paper looks at three social choice theories and argues in favour of Robert Nozick's theory.

1,229 words () | 5 sources | MLA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses three different types of social choice theory; John Rawls' theory, basic utilitarianism and Robert Nozick's theory of libertarianism. The paper argues that Nozick's theory of emphasizing human dignity and autonomy is the greatest of the three social choice theories because it secures the freedoms and prerogatives of all individuals.

From the Paper:

"In its simplest form, Social Choice Theory is fundamentally concerned with the "aggregation of individuals' preferences into a collective preference; based on this social preference a collective decision can be taken" (Haake, para.1). To elaborate a little more fully on what can be quite a complex topic, social choice theory is a branch of decision theory preoccupied with the process and outcome of a social choice procedure to which all affected parties agree to be bound (Davies, para.2). In summation, social choice theory is about making the best choice globally for everyone. Suffice it to say, John Rawls, utilitarian theory, and Robert Nozick have their own differing views on the considerations that should be borne in mind when assessing how social choices can be made."

Sample of Sources Used:

Davies, Todd. "Social Choice Theory and Electoral Systems." Symbolic Systems 150: Computers and Social Decisions. 2002. Stanford University. 24 Apr. 2007 <http://www.stanford.edu/class/symbsys150/social-choice-theory-5-8.html>
Feser, Edward. "Robert Nozick." Robert Nozick (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy). 2005. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 24 Apr. 2007 <http://www.iep.utm.edu/n/nozick.htm#H1>
Fox, James J. "Utilitarianism." Catholic Encyclopedia: Utilitarianism. 2007. The Catholic Encyclopedia (online). 25 Apr. 2007 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15241c.htm>
Haake, Claus-Jochen. "Lecture: Social Choice Theory (SS 2005)." Institute of Mathematical Economics. 27 Sept. 2004. IME: Institute of Mathematical Economics. 24 Apr. 2007 http://www.wiwi.uni-<bielefeld.de/~imw/Lectures/SS05/socialchoice/index.php>
Richardson, Henry S. "John Rawls." Rawls, John (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy). 2006. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 24 Apr. 2007 <http://www.iep.utm.edu/r/rawls.htm#SSH2c.i>