No Such Thing As Public Opinion - The Paradox of Collective Decision-Making

Explore the paradoxes of public opinion and collective decision-making in this thought-provoking lecture by Jordan Ellenberg. Delve into the complexities of aggregating diverse opinions in a heterogeneous population, challenging the notion that Americans are simply irrational thinkers desiring low taxes and extensive government programs. Examine the mathematical principles, from Condorcet's discoveries during the French Revolution to Kenneth Arrow's Nobel-winning work, that explain puzzling polling results on budget issues. Discover how these same concepts apply to historical events like the Bush-Gore-Nader conflict in Florida in 2000 and even the decision-making processes of primitive organisms like slime molds. Gain insights into the intricacies of public opinion formation and the challenges of interpreting collective preferences in this illuminating 70-minute presentation from the Santa Fe Institute's C4 Public Lectures series.