Econ Papers Daily / 期刊论文
重访J.S.密尔方法：因果推断与社会选择理论
Revisiting J. S. Mill’s methods: causal inference and social choice theory
摘要
In his work “A System of Logic”, John Stuart Mill presented four methods of experimental inquiry, structured into five canons, aimed at determining the circumstances that relate to the considered phenomenon by an invariable law. This study delves into Mill’s methods through the lens of social choice theory and discovers the synchronicity between these theories. Our primary finding is that Approval Voting and the Leximax rule are characterized by consistently (and neutrally) extending Mill’s first canon (the method of agreement) and his second canon (the method of difference). Furthermore, we explore the interplay among the five canons. Our findings demonstrate that the Leximax rule successfully adheres to the first four canons while maintaining consistency and neutrality. These results underscore the intricate connection between causal inference and social choice theory, establishing a foundational link for the application of preference aggregation theory to data aggregation in causal inference and vice versa. Similar content being viewed by others
中文摘要
约翰·斯图尔特·密尔在其著作《逻辑体系》中提出了四种实验探究方法，并将其归纳为五条准则，旨在通过不变法则确定与所考察现象相关的条件。本研究从社会选择理论的视角深入剖析密尔的方法，发现这些理论之间存在同步性。我们的主要发现是：批准投票规则和Leximax规则能够一致且中立地扩展密尔的第一准则（求同法）和第二准则（求异法）。此外，我们探讨了五条准则之间的相互作用。研究结果表明，Leximax规则在保持一致性和中立性的前提下，成功遵循了前四条准则。这些发现凸显了因果推断与社会选择理论之间的复杂联系，为偏好聚合理论在因果推断中的数据聚合应用以及反向应用奠定了基础性关联。