Contents:
To classify four kinds of love, which are romance, friendship, affection and charity, in an ordered relationship is to begin the logic of measurement for a 'science' of love. Based mainly on The Four Loves by C S Lewis.
Shortly before world war one, H G Wells began a campaign for
"proportional representation with the single transferable vote in large
constituencies" lasting over a decade, when the split in support between
three main parties (currently the case again in Britain) almost brought
about this reform.
The condition of democracy for world peace, which Wells promoted for the
rest of his life. Bibliographies and quotes from Wells' writings on PR
and also on economic representation.
The Second Chamber Of Science ( an 'economic parliament' ).
Scientific theory is checked in practise, so parliament's first chamber, representing political theories, should be checked by a second chamber, giving overall democratic representation of economic practise from occupational constituencies. Relation of proposed economic parliament to judiciary and the political parliament. Its evolution and importance for human rights. Conclusion.
Second Chamber reform: a review of the House of Lords Royal Commission, the Wakeham report.
The Wakeham report as a committee system of government.
Refuting the 'practical obstacles' seen to vocational elections. The
establishment mind-set, of the Wakeham committee and their hostile Press,
can only think of appointed experts or elected politicians plus appointed
politicians, but not elected experts by vocational groups of
colleagues.
Open letter to the joint committee on Lords reform.
In february 2003, Parliament dead-locked itself over the conflicting half-truths exposed, on the previous web page, and in this open letter to the joint committee.
Plutocracy and Bureaucracy, or Democracy?
Plutocracy and bureaucracy rob people of their freedom, thru untrustworthy investments and over-bearing regulations. A small sample is quoted, from the Press, of the outrages big business and big government have inflicted on the general public. The best public defense, against mass exploitation and subordination, would include effective elections, and freedom of information, in political and also economic democracy.
Reasonable standards of scientific method in the voting system monitored or refereed by specialist representatives of all the people's occupations, instead of governing parties being their own referees in political contests.
The terms of reference consider only women and social minorities, and not political minorities in public life, not admitting that the former cannot be achieved without the latter.
Anarchy of electoral methods in Britain. Relevance, to bad government, of C P Snow on 'the two cultures'. Early reception of the Jenkins report on electoral systems.
Absurdities of the unloved Alternative Vote Top-up, proposed by the
Jenkins report.
Refuting the report's case against the single transferable vote.
Ontario CA provides a warning to future trials. They should last a year, like a qualifying course or government commission. There should be no political interference from an official line endorsed by academics. Dissenting outside opinion should be given plenty of time for the assembly to assimilate all points of view and not just assume conventional wisdom.
Electoral method solved by scientific method, related to the four
scales of measurement.
Summaries of how and how not to do it.
Proportional representation is not just between parties, but within,
across and without parties, and also can be considered in just as many
ways with respect to constituencies.
Democratic method illustrates scientific method, in terms of theory and
experiment.
Philosophy of science refutes bad voting methods. How ad hoc additional member systems, as inconsistent theories of choice, fail to test public opinion. And how their double vote puts the legislative and executive roles, of two classes of MPs, at cross-purposes.
Disproving the Plant Report's dogma of different voting systems for
different assemblies. Answering Plant's questions on plurality systems
and proportional systems. Detailed justification of the single
transferable vote against the Plant report's critical questions. Plant's
failure to adequately criticise List Systems including Additional Member
Systems.
The second interim Plant report's inconsistencies stemmed from
determination to keep the (monopolistic) single members' (safe seats)
system before all other considerations.
Qualifications for councillors approved.
Addressing the criticisms of the pro-STV Kerley report, as typified by
its own minority dissent, re proportion: making party proportionality a
basis for elections reduces to the absurdity of counting everyone as
their own partisan.
Lack of coherence, among proportional partisans, in practise or
principle.
Criticising the critics of the Kerley report's majority decision, re
representation. Their inability to let go of the single member's
representative 'link' -- the euphemism for 'monopoly', which they rightly
decide is incompatible with the ( democratic ) principle of sharing by
proportional representation ( properly conceived ).
Following the dialog between the commission and the public, with extra
comments by this reviewer on why the commission majority was right to
recommend STV for local elections in Wales.
The cabinet system of partisan government's suppression of independent
thought.
The Arbuthnott report makes assertions about voting methods that may
not prove authoritative against logic and evidence. Its decisions are
consequently less decisive, even when to some good. On balance, the
report delays at a crucial time for democratic progress in Britain. The
Arbuthnott report conveys an undoubted confusion among the Scottish
people but is found to be holding a mirror to itself.
The Richard commission is more positive towards the Welsh people and
their report more instructive. Its voting recommendation is the
democratic one for the Welsh Assembly, which, like the Sunderland report
on local elections, the subsequent one-party government turned down.
The Power commission chaired by Helena Kennedy produced a report on Power to the People, which wants to remove first past the post but fails to recommend a practical voting method. It fails to appreciate that an absence of economic democracy is undermining what little political democracy there is.
The original and genuine proportional representation, that allows
freedom of individual choice to establish any desired degree of national
unity, with an order of choice for several candidates, in the same or
different parties, ( also independents ) and not just proportional
partisanship that passes for 'PR'.
Thomas Wright Hill's informal teaching democratic procedure by the
intuition of voters transfering, so the most prefered candidates are
proportionly elected.
The version of STV that simply uses representative sampling to transfer
surplus votes without fractional weighting.
A simple example of STV using the Senatorial Rules.
An elementary demonstration of how the computer count known as Meek's
method works.
A Reversible Single Transferable Vote uses transferable voting not only as an election count of most prefered candidates but as an exclusion count of least prefered candidates. This counters excessive reaction against traditional STV because premature and 'non-monotonic' in excluding candidates with least votes, just when the count happens to run out of surplus votes to transfer from candidates, elected on a quota, to their voters' next preferences.
Further former reform, the re-transferable vote: Four logicly possible count runs, of a transferable vote, work in two pairs of election qualified by exclusion counts, to determine candidates' keep values of preference and unpreference, extends the range of the proportional count of preference votes. Voting preference information is used to determine keep values for deficit candidates as well as surplus candidates, the over-all keep value from the four counts determining which candidates are elected and whether a candidate is not too unprefered to be elected as a runner-up, if not all the vacancies have been filled by candidates reaching a quota.
A series like the binomial series can be used as a guide to higher orders of STV count more closely approximating a definitive election result. Binomially, classical STV is a zero order count, Reversible STV was an incomplete version of a first order count and the Retransferable Vote needed less modification to be a second order count.
Examples of first and second order Binomial STV, the version of transferable voting that averages counts to get over-all results, instead of conventional STV systems' use of a single count. Statistical limits on bland candidates' succeeding by less unpreference than preference.
Condorcet pairing establishes an over-all winner between candidates systematicly paired. In this example, the same is done between a few randomly chosen groups of candidates. In either case, the candidates' votes, as keep values, are averaged to find a more quantitativly precise Condorcet winner than Condorcet's original proposal still in use. This result, is in turn averaged with the Binomial STV result ( from the previous page for 7 seats ) for over-all preferences between the candidates.
Social choice theorists exemplified possibly untoward results from the use of last past the post exclusion in STV. Over-coming this drawback using methods of STV with more rational exclusion count to complement the rational election count and make possible controled re-counts of candidates' surplus - and deficit - keep values, which can be averaged for a more representative result.
Averaging of surplus and deficit keep-values from controled re-counts of an election, by 1st and 2nd order Binomial STV and also of keep-value weighted Condorcet pairing. The example was previously used, by Condorcet's successors to show different voting methods get different results, and is here used to show method need not be arbitrary.
Suggested continuation of the Hare and Droop quotas, as 'the Ross quota' in terms of variations between the maximum and minimum electorates, in a uniform member constituency system, allowing for natural differences in the sizes of local communities.
The Labour government's attempts to turn back falling turn-out by electronic voting trials, including internet voting. Use ( by others ) of STV computer counts.
Guidelines to referendums, considering their democratic value as surveyed beliefs, as distinct from accredited knowledge.
The destabilising of personal relations and society by violence, including the death penalty.
Enslavement to sexuality is only compounded by judicial enslavement to fear.
War may be out-lawed in so far as the use of force becomes impractical. But a war games mentality persists in politics, as fraud. Apart from ecological fraud, on the planet's resources, propaganda wars promote popular fallacies, by censoring free criticism of dogmas or doctrines that serve factional interests against the common interest.
Why do we never learn anything from history?
Because, politics is conducted as an information war, between factions seeking support, to show themselves in a better light than their rivals. This prevents knowledge, thru free enquiry, which would serve all society and not just those seeking self-defeating short-term gains.
Max Weber's sociological method as a compromise with the state.
Avoiding my student mistakes in one's study methods.
Social science as the social function of scientific method, that achieves democracy by progressive scientific re-statement of the law-like condition of unanimity in liberty.
The first principle of democracy science, which should hold, say, in physics, as well as political science, is that the most general scientific theory is tested by the freest 'electoral' method. In common sense terms, knowledge and freedom depend on each other. 'Know the truth and it will make you free.'
Teaching children a simple English alfabet for its own efficiency in writing and as a basis for learning complicated English spelling. John Downing's official research showed the principle of an early-learning alfabet worked with ITA but he deeply regreted its addition of new letters, leading to its disuse.
A guide to the rules used for an other version of this site's pages in simpler English spelling. A half-way house between conventional spelling and a more completely rational reform like the ESP alfabet.
English spelling rules given priority over conflicting rules, to
secure one-letter one-sound alfabet, also a letter code to abbreviate
common words.
Proposal for regular English past tense.
Can grammar be considered as a measurement structure? Classical and fuzzy logic in terms of measurement scales and the binomial and multinomial theorems.
Popular science
Part One: The Michelson-Morley Experiment and the Lorentz transformations.
Part two: The Minkowski Interval and the Lorentz transformations.
The evolution of the special theory of relativity in terms of its defining anticipations and aftermath, in the Michelson-Morley experiment and the Lorentz transformations, and in the Minkowski Interval. How these three features are related is described and also set out in simple algebra.
Part three: The Lorentz transformations.
An example in arithmetic of how the Lorentz transformations change the
co-ordinates between observers in relative motion, with regard to their
space, time and velocity measurements, but how they observe the same,
constant velocity of light.
The basis of special relativity, of motions approaching light speed, re-formulated, from deterministic equations of relative observations, to averaged observations as measures of ranges in values, that are statistical dispersions rather than 'ether-drags'.
Comparing mass, space and time to voters, candidates and representatives, in terms of scalar, vector, or 'probability vector' for their respective mathematical forms.
A scientific electoral system, with its constituency and voting distributions as a statistical model for the kinetics and dynamics of special relativity. Minkowski's Interval of space-time compared to the standard unit vote composed of keep values and a transfer value, which is negative for deficit candidates.
Earlier qualitative comparison ( c1992 ) of valid electoral method with the development of classical mechanics into special relativity. (A quantitative comparison was made about a decade later.)
The geometric mean suitably measures distributions such as the
falling-off of velocity increases as bodies approach light speed, and
likewise measures the diminishing returns of increasing the number of
representatives for proportional representation.
The Lorentz transformations of time and space can be re-formulated ( from
the version in A Statistical Basis for Special Relativity ) as
transformations between geometric means, of time and of space, over
related velocity ranges. These are analgous to geometric mean election
and exclusion keep values over related ranges of transfer values, in a
prototype transferable voting system, whose count is thus an elective and
exclusive sort of averaging to over-all keep values for the candidates,
as in Binomial STV.
Thus, the statistical representation of ranges of choice may apply to
observational science and include political elections.
The Lorentz transformations as geometric means have dispersions, which also signify implicit but unmeasurable dispersion in classical mechanics. The Interval unifies the geometric means into one commonly observed for high energy physics.
The formulas of special relativity can be expressed as geometric means, as can the results of a reformed STV with controled re-counts. This enables a well-defined correspondence between mechanics and "electics."
Statistical averaging, of the respective ranges in the split light beam journeys, predicts the null result of the Michelson-Morley experiment. The Fitzgerald-Lorentz contraction factor as geometric mean distance.
The Interval can be re-formulated into a binomial expansion of velocities in a geometric series, such that the conventional Interval appears in the first two terms and apparently an "acceleration Interval" from the expansion's second two terms. Each pair of terms seems to be both a geometry and an average, expressing a probable degree of space-time curvature.
Maybe the Michelson-Morley calculation should have been based not on
Galileo's (velocity) relativity principle but on Galileo's (acceleration)
measure of force principle, applied to light which has mass. This
suggests General Relativity of observers in accelerated frames of
reference may be implicit in Special Relativity. Notably the thought
experiment of Einstein's lift may be relevant to the Michelson-Morley
experiment, in terms of gravitational wave effects.
The Interval of space-time, re-formulated into a probability series of space-time terms in degrees of geometrical curvature, seems to bring the thermodynamic probability vector of time's arrow into classical and relativist mechanics. The probable occurence of different space-time curvatures or a probabilistic relativity may be more applicable to previously inaccessible situations for the theory, where continuous space-time breaks down.
Mach's principle, of self-contained explanation of the physical
universe, may also be applied to the universe of numbers. Statistics, of
representative numbers or averages, applies Mach's self-referal principle
to maths of circular functions. This application is found in the special
relativity Interval, justifying it as a geometric mean, with a
dispersion.
When light is taken to be a geometric mean radius, different observers'
velocity measurements may be taken as different dispersions about the
light speed mean. The light speed mean radius might be modeled as an
impassable caldera wall of infinite height - actually two walls that
never quite meet. On the inside is our tardyonic cosmos. Whereas the
outer wall would be tachyonic, which quantum effects might possibly infer
the existence of.
The conventional Interval form, having a negative sign in relation to
a fourth dimension, represents back and forth aligned relative motion of
light to an observed local velocity. The Interval can also take the form
of Pythagoras' theorem in four dimensions, with the fourth dimension also
positive, because the Interval here represents transverse relative
motion.
With equal magnitudes of the aligned velocity and the transverse
velocity, and with the two Intervals equal, their respective times are
also equal. This meets the conditions and gives the correct result for
the Michelson-Morley experiment. In effect, the Interval is being used to
take the geometric mean as the correct average (where a measure of
acceleration is implicit; the factor also needed to resolve the twin
paradox) of the times of the split light beams' return journeys, so they
come out equal.
The Michelson-Morley arithmetic mean earth-longitudinal light beam time calculation as inconsistent with the equations of special relativity.
Some experimental variations on the Michelson-Morley experiment, possibly using the simultaneity property of quantum entanglement, and if conductable on a gravitationly significant scale, to show how the Interval as a geometric mean governs whether the results will be null or non-null.
One observer's localised Interval as the geometric mean of another
observer's localised Interval in terms of range limits, which conserve
the amplitude, as an arithmetic mean equilibrium translates symmetricly
with them.
A statistical quadratic equation has matching terms for a second order
linear differential equation.
Conventional differentiation is, in effect, arithmetic mean
differentiation for one, rather than many, terms in an arithmetic
series. A new geometric mean differentiation of exponential functions
uses an unlimiting process to a change-variable as geometric series term
(or more).
A basic relation of statistical differentiation is that successive (AM)
differentiations are found inverted in the successive terms of a GM
differentiation of exponential decay, divided by the function in
question.
Example of GM differentiation for an accelerated Minkowski Interval.
A measure of evolution. Diffusion equation of natural selection and elections.
Natural science as part of natural history or evolution, on the scales of measurement. The greatest freedom of choice in measurement makes possible the most comprehensive knowledge or most general theoretical understanding. This considered as evolutionary adaptiveness, in physics and politics, as well as biology.
Scientific theories and methods modeled on natural selection.
Manfred Eigen's theory of inorganic natural selection; Lee Smolin's theory of cosmological natural selection and its relation to connectionist theory of memory landscapes; 'natural selection' as a method of evolving programs too complex for rational design; and its role in language learning and spelling reform.
Conditioning and Instinct.
The behaviorist conditioning of Pavlov and Skinner reflect
totalitarian and hedonist societies, based on obedience and pleasure,
teaching slavery by way of habits or appetites.
Ethology, resembling a revival of instinct psychology, and breaking out
of the imprisoning laboratory, observes and compares often instinctive
behavior in animals in their natural environments. This may help to
explain human behavior patterns, that live on after the reason for them
has been forgotten, when they may do more harm than good.
Commentary On W W Sawyer's A Path To Modern Mathematics.
( 1 ) Fibonacci series and damped wave equation.Linear analysis of problems, with additive solutions, to find a pair of perpendicular vectors that dont change direction, making these 'eigenvectors' suitable as fixed co-ordinates, which can show relationships in terms of simple changes of magnitude, the 'eigenvalues'.
Pascal's triangle rows graph as successive discrete approximations to the bell-shaped curve. But this triangle, and a slant-rowed Pascal-Fibonacci count, can be co-ordinated to graph as wave forms.
The diffusion equation as a finite difference equation.
Reducing a solution of the partial differential equation to the arithmetic of the binomial and multinomial distributions.
Laplace's equation, the diffusion equation, as finite difference equations in two dimensions, or more.
Laplace's equation and the diffusion equation or heat conduction equation considered as partial difference equations in two spatial dimensions, or more, with solutions in terms of the binomial and multinomial distributions of probability. Graphs show the diffusion process and states of distribution.
Buffon's needle is a test for sinusoidal probability, which may be
adaptable to whether the number of elective first preferences in STV
elections are much above chance. A sine-generating circle of chance may
be likened to my model of first order binomial STV.
Negative and imaginary transfer values may be adapted to a notion of
complex probability.
Slightly defective perfect numbers may be considered as infinitely
perfect numbers and algorithm for temporal diffusion.
Traditional differentiation from first principles is founded on statistics that make differentials into bounds about a range, that also can be averaged by a geometric mean, to have its limit taken to an exponential function, whose geometric mean anti-derivative may thereby be infered. The normal curve as geometric mean derivative of a circular function.
(1) in preference permutations.
(2) 'electorally' interpreted.
Quantum correlations of separated observers' choices, geometrically
represented by their respective 'magic dodecahedra', whose automatic
effects on each other cannot be explained by light signals or
pre-arranged rules.
Suggested proof and prediction based on no first choice being
pre-assignable, instead of Penrose's proof based on non-pre-assignable
last choices.
Reviews:
William Lovett's Chartism.
Review of 'The Life and Struggles of William Lovett', autobiography
1876, the 'moral force' Chartist and author of the famous six points for
equal representation.
Organiser who anticipated the peace and cultural initiatives of the UN,
such as UNESCO.
Review of largely new historical evidence for the role especially of working women in Yorkshire campaigning for the suffrage.
'How the banks robbed the world.'
An abridged description of the BBC2 program's explanation of the fraud in corporate finance, that destroys the public's investments.The political system fails the eco-system.
Over thirty years of Green warnings, by campaigners and the media, and
the hope for grass roots reforms.
How expensively professionalised services deprive the poor of even their
most essential needs. And how even the developed countries are
over-strained on this account and draw in trained people from deprived
countries.
The amateur lawyer and open source software.
Two more examples to show why society should deprofessionalise basic skills important for people's most essential needs, whether in the third world or the 'over-developed' countries.
Mankind is the agent of destruction for countless life forms including possibly himself, in the sixth mass extinction planet earth has endured in its history. Why the world's politicians must work together to counter the effects of global warming.
Four women scientists who should have won nobel prizes.
Lise Meitner, Madame Wu, Rosalind Franklin and Jocelyn Bell were the four women scientists. Reading of their work in popular science accounts led me, by chance, to think they deserved nobel prizes: no feminist program at work here.
Julian Barbour: The End Of Time.
In classical physics (1) triangle land;
(2) geometric dynamics.
In quantum mechanics (1)making waves; (2) quantum cosmology.
Applying Mach's principle, to Newton's external frame-work of absolute space and time, both in classical physics and to Schrödinger's wave equation of quantum mechanics, by which the universe is made properly self-referential, as a timeless 'relative configuration space' or Platonia.
Murray Gell-Mann: The Quark and the Jaguar.
Themes, including complex systems analysis, from Murray Gell-Mann's The Quark and the Jaguar, illustrated by voting methods.
Brian Greene: The Elegant Universe.
(1) Super-strings. (2) Hidden dimensions.Beyond point particle physics to a theory of 'strings' that may under-lie the four known forces of nature, and its material constituents, thru super-symmetry, given that the 'super-strings', as such, are allowed to vibrate, their characteristic particle patterns, in extra hidden dimensions of space.
Lee Smolin: Three roads to quantum gravity.
Reviewing the other two roads ( besides string theory ) namely black hole cosmology and loop quantum gravity. All three approaches are converging on a discrete view of space and time, in basic units, on the Planck scale. General relativity's space-time continuum is being quantised, rather as nineteenth century thermo-dynamics of continuous radiation was quantised.
Impatience with the remoteness of string theory and hope for progress from theories with more experimental predictions. How to make research more effective. Smolin's scientific ethic. Reviewer's criticism of the artificial divide academics make between science and ethics.
Ancient Athenian democracy.
Solon's law-giving, as told in Plutarch's Lives, and Pericles' funeral oration on the principles of Athens, as told by Thucydides.
Seneca: on anger
Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Roman philosopher, c 4 BC to 65 AD; translation
by Aubrey Stewart.
Condemnation of anger as the most repulsive and foolish of vices.
Discussion of how to allay and remedy its evil effects, not least in
oneself.
Chief Seattle: from a letter to the American President ( 1855 ).
Early warning of destruction by pollution of the sacred earth. Even the white man needs nature reserves.
From John Stuart Mill's letters: proportional representation, and other issues.
Extracts from John Stuart Mill's letters, on proportional representation as personal representation; on the economy, environment and women's suffrage; and on English aristocratic and reactionary sentiment.
A Declaration of the Rights of Man.
A charter prepared in 1940, under the Chairmanship of Lord Sankey, and
originally drafted for discussion by H. G. Wells.
A Charter of Scientific Fellowship
Initiated, in 1942, also by H G Wells.Modèle Scientifique du Procès Electoral.
Les quatre règles de mesure généralement acceptées, comme elles sont représentées dans une progression logique, par: ( 1 ) un vote par personne ( 2) de préférence ( 3 ) transférables en tant que surplus et que déficits de ( 4 ) quote-part Droop, font ensemble un système électoral appelé le scrutin transférable ( ST; en anglais, 'STV: single transferable vote' ) qui est, par conséquent, un modèle électoral de mesure.
Richard Lung.
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