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Contributions to the Mathematical Theory of Human Relations. IV

Outline of a Mathematical Theory of Individual Freedom

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2025

N. Rashevsky
N. Rashevsky*
Affiliation:
The University of Chicago
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Abstract

An attempt is made to define and treat analytically the concept of individual freedom in a society. Two possible definitions are briefly discussed. One takes as a measure of freedom the ratio (w0 − w)w0, where w0 is the maximum amount of work that a person can physically perform per unit time and w is the amount of work which he has actually to perform per unit time in a given society. The other definition takes as a measure of freedom that fraction of an individual's time during which he can indulge in any activity of his own choice without interfering with other individuals. Expressions are derived by way of illustration, giving the individual freedom in terms of other parameters which characterize the social structure.

Type
Original Paper
Information
Psychometrika , Volume 5 , Issue 4 , December 1940 , pp. 299 - 303
Copyright
Copyright © 1940 The Psychometric Society

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References

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