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From: sykora@csd2.UUCP (Michael Sykora)
Newsgroups: net.politics.theory
Subject: Re: Politics and Ethics--Socialism, Libertarianism, and Capitalism
Message-ID: <4340026@csd2.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 23-Dec-85 19:56:00 EST
Article-I.D.: csd2.4340026
Posted: Mon Dec 23 19:56:00 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 29-Dec-85 01:01:57 EST
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>/* franka@mmintl.UUCP (Frank Adams) /  9:30 am  Dec 17, 1985 */

>In practice, determining what the public good is is often quite difficult.
>One must use such tools as judgement, compassion, and imagination.  Opinion
>polls (including the formal ones called elections) are not worthless either.
>The result is still imperfect.

"Judgement" based on what criteria?
Is "compassion" a tool?  Why should we assume compassion is good?
Imagination may be useful in coming up with innovative solutions, but
how is it useful in determining what the public wants?  (Note, I am assuming,
based on your reference to opinion polls, that you see the public's desires
as highly relevant to what the "public good" is.)

The market has the advantage over opinion polls in that it can measure
more accurately than opinion polls can the EXTENT of people's wants, as it
forces people to put their money where their mouths are.

Originally, you said that the public good is just the aggregate of individual
goods.  How are the individual goods combined if they conflict?


Michael Sykora