Category Archives: Uncategorized

We have been blogging a lot about “bayesian voting” lately. In our previous post, however, we mentioned as an aside Netflix’s decision to replace its five-star cardinal voting system with a more simple binary system: thumbs up or thumbs down. … Continue reading →

In this blog post, I will address the practicality objection to bayesian voting by judges. First, I concede that, in the judicial context, cardinal or utilitarian methods of voting–like my method of bayesian voting–are marginally more costly and cumbersome than … Continue reading →

Thus far, we have identified a voting paradox in law and proposed a system of “bayesian voting” by judges in multi-member panels. There are, however, at least three major objections to my proposed system of bayesian voting: 1. Practicality (operational … Continue reading →

In our 7/17 blog post, we described a voting paradox in law and presented a simple model of bayesian voting, and in our 7/18 blog post, we showed how bayesian voting might work in practice. In that post, however, we assumed … Continue reading →

July 19 is the 200th day of the year, so we interrupt our series of blog posts on Bayesian voting to wish our loyal followers good tidings. What will the next 100 days bring? In the meantime, enjoy …

In my previous blog post, I showed how the outcome of an appeal can depend on the type of voting rule appellate courts use to decide cases, and I mentioned a possible solution to this paradox: bayesian voting. In brief, … Continue reading →

Imagine a case or controversy C presenting two separate legal issues: standing and sovereign immunity. Specifically, (1) does plaintiff P have standing to sue, and (2) is defendant D (a governmental entity) entitled to assert the defense of sovereign immunity, … Continue reading →

Instructions, via Dexter See: “Form a circle with Skittles on a plate (colours should be in repeated order, preferably according to colours of the rainbow e.g. purple, green, yellow, orange, red), then pour hot water over them.” (Hat tip: The … Continue reading →

The entry in Wikipedia for “single-peaked preferences” explains this concept in three different ways: in words, then using formal mathematical notation, and then with a simple image. First, the concept is defined in words: