@CptSuperlative On randomness, still my favourite article of the past two decades, "If you can't choose wisely, choose randomly", by Michael Schulson:

As moderns, we take it for granted that the best decisions stem from a process of empirical analysis and informed choice, with a clear goal in mind. That kind of decision-making, at least in theory, undergirds the ways that we choose political leaders, play the stock market, and select candidates for schools and jobs. It also shapes the way in which we critique the rituals and superstitions of others. But, as the Kantu’ illustrate, there are plenty of situations when random chance really is your best option.

https://aeon.co/essays/if-you-can-t-choose-wisely-choose-randomly

Much more, and apparently heavy reliance on a couple of books I'd still like to read, by Michael Dove, Michael Stone's The Luck of the Draw: The Role of Lotteries in Decision Making, Robert Finlay's Politics in Renaissance Venice, and a few others.

@aud

#MichaelSchulson #randomness #sortition

"The idea [of sortition - selecting representatives by lottery] is not to banish reason from politics altogether. But plenty of bad reasons can influence the election process – through bribery, intimidation, and fraud; through vote-purchasing; through discrimination and prejudices of all kinds. The question is whether these bad reasons outweigh the benefits of a system in which voters pick their favourite candidates."

#MichaelSchulson, 2014

https://aeon.co/essays/if-you-can-t-choose-wisely-choose-randomly

#elections #sortition