Albion College
Mathematics and Computer Science
COLLOQUIUM
Answering Condorcet's Omission
Tomas McIntee

Mathematics

Virginia Tech

M. J. A. N. de Caritat, the Marquis de Condorcet, raised concerns about the Borda Count in "Essay on the Application of Analysis to the Probability of Majority Decisions" (1785), introducing several concepts that now bear the name of Condorcet; in particular a voting paradox and voting criteria. One of the latter was used by M. J. A. N. de Caritat to criticize a positional voting method introduced by contemporary J. C. de Borda in 1770. In this presentation, the question of how probability applies to the voting paradox and the application of the related criteria to positional voting rules is raised, leading to a spectrum of answers of varying plausibility. The most plausible answers can be seen to be those given for Borda's voting system.
3:30 PM
All are welcome!
Palenske 227
October 27, 2016