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Last few days of RAMADHAN...
PPP = Presidential Polls & Poundstone
William Poundstone is an American writer writing in the tradition of Martin Gardner & other popular writers who try to express using their pen very important facts, philosophical questions & issues & mathematical/scientific truths (usually presented via puzzles, riddles, jokes or stories) for the general public... They make extremely STIMULATING & MIND-STRETCHING reading... Check write-ups in the WEB e.g. WIKI...
I am (re)reading his LABYRINTHS OF REASON... His other books seem truly interesting & I urge everyone including CONSTHEOrists to read them :
- his SECRETS books
- FORTUNE's FORMULA (2005)
- GAMING THE VOTE: WHY ELECTIONS AREN'T FAIR (2008)
In this last NEW book, Poundstone writes about ARROW's PARADOX, an idea in Mathematical Economics that has devastating implications for one of the most cherished institutions of so called democrazies: the VOTING SYSTEM... Just search about this especially in the WIKI or other academic sites. I had read about this a long, long time ago in the SCIAM & Gardner's MATHEMATICAL GAMES column... It's not really the fundamental reason why I NEVER VOTE (Actually, I stopped voting even since Marcos time...)... I wonder how many human beings know about the paradox... How many U.S. presidential polls enthusiasts or Philippine 2010 polls presidentiables...
Though I have not yet read the book (It is NOT available in UP, ATENEO or DE LA SALLE libs), I STRONGLY URGE eggheads (?!) to obtain & read it. Gardner's & Arrow's own comments at the back of the backcover is shown. I STOLE* it from AMAZON.COM...
One link:
http://www.motherjones.com/interview/2008/01/verdict-is-in-our%20voting-system-is-a-loser.html
*to BORROW without asking permission from its owner but without presenting it as one's own. (This last act of claiming credit is called in the academe "PLAGIARIZING"...) N.B. to STOLE is NOT to STEAL!!! Shall comment on INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS & related concepts later...
TMNP
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