Arrow's Theorem and Group Decisions

Way back in 1951, Kenneth Arrow wrote a book called Social Choice and Individual values, in which he introduced Arrow's Paradox (aka Arrow's Possibility theorem, aka Arrow's Impossibility theorem). Slightly less back in 1972, Arrow won the Nobel Prize in Economics for his work.

To oversimplify and ignorantly sum up, democratic voting doesn't work when weighing subjects against various criteria. (Blogger's note: No pretenses; I'm not capable of understanding, let alone explaining this equation with any sensibility. Check out the link for that. I'm just running with my blanket statement, and what to do with that conclusion).

If alternative analysis can't be trusted, then how can the input of multiple people help get to a decision? One thought would be to use the results of a vote to surface opinions, and use these as a springboard for more focused discussion. This isn't a silver bullet. But, will there ever be? Will algorithms ever take insights and transform them into optimal decisions? Services like Expert Choice are apparently making strides. There may be solutions on the horizon, but engaging people in discussion surrounding voting inputs also produces new insights and further benefits.

To be fair, there's always a risk in opening up results to discussion, of course.