Belief Revision - Social Choice Theory

Social Choice Theory

Many revision proposals involve orderings over models representing the relative plausibility of the possible alternatives. The problem of merging amounts to combine a set of orderings into a single one expressing the combined plausibility of the alternatives. This is similar with what is done in social choice theory, which is the study of how the preferences of a group of agents can be combined in a rational way. Belief revision and social choice theory are similar in that they combine a set of orderings into one. They differ on how these orderings are interpreted: preferences in social choice theory; plausibility in belief revision. Another difference is that the alternatives are explicitly enumerated in social choice theory, while they are the propositional models over a given alphabet in belief revision.

Read more about this topic:  Belief Revision

Famous quotes containing the words social, choice and/or theory:

    The weakness of modern tragedy ... [is that] transgression against the social code is made to bring destruction, as though the social code worked our irrevocable fate.
    —D.H. (David Herbert)

    ... given a choice between hearing my daughter say “I’m pregnant” or “I used a condom,” most mothers would get up in the middle of the night and buy them herself.
    Joycelyn Elders (b. 1933)

    The theory of rights enables us to rise and overthrow obstacles, but not to found a strong and lasting accord between all the elements which compose the nation.
    Giuseppe Mazzini (1805–1872)