Communersability isn'tr interpersonal comparison of utilities. It's the assumption that even within a single individual's utility functions all values are commebsurable, that it's possible to compoare, e.g., my distaste for brussels sprouts with my contempt for Enron, my love for my sweetie with my delight in trashy movies. As to whether PO is a fundamental rethinking or a technical device, reasonable minds can differ. jks
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
jks wrote,
>That's what I meant by technical devices. However, commsurability is still maintained,a nd you can't talk about Pareto optimality without it . . .
PO does _not_ require any interperson utility comparison (ie, commsurability); that is its beauty from the point of view of NC economics.
And, PO is not a mere technical device, it is a fundamental rethinking of the notion of social welfare (from the odd mainstream idea of social welfare).
Eric
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