The Utilitarian Relevance of the Aggregation Theorem

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Fleurbaey, Marc; Mongin, Philippe
• 署名单位: Princeton University; Princeton University; Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC) Paris; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL-MICROECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1945-7669
• DOI: 10.1257/mic.20140238
• 发表日期: 2016
• 页码: 289-306
• 关键词: individualistic ethics; cardinal welfare

摘要

Harsanyi (1955) invested his Aggregation Theorem and Impartial Observer Theorem with utilitarian sense, but Sen (1986) described them as representation theorems with little ethical import. This critical view has never been subjected to full analytical scrutiny. The formal argument we provide here supports the utilitarian relevance of the Aggregation Theorem. Following a hint made by Sen himself, we posit an exogeneous utilitarian ordering that evaluates riskless options by the sum of individual utilities, and we show that any social observer who obeys the conditions of the Aggregation Theorem evaluates social states in terms of a weighted variant of this utilitarian sum.