Logic and Social Choice (RLE Social Theory) (Routledge Library Editions: Social Theory) - Hardcover

Murakami, Yasusuke

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1138784265 ISBN 13: 9781138784260

Publisher: Routledge, 2014

Synopsis

How is a social decision made out of individual members' decisions? This is one of the primary questions in the social sciences. Logic and Social Choice provides an answer to the topic by the application of mathematical logic. Yasusuke Murakami formulates social decision-making in logical terms, and shows that an analysis of social decision is equivalent to a logical calculus in many-valued logic. The logical conditions are then derived for various types of societies, especially for democracy. This foundation enables the author to discuss such topics as the relation between direct democracy and the representative system, a comparison of various rules of election, and the stability of social decision. The main conclusion is that inconsistency or paradox is inherent not only in voting and in democracy itself, but also in any piecemeal social decision-making.

About this title

About the Author

Y. Murakami

Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1138784265
• ISBN 13: 9781138784260
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 144