Spontaneous Group Accuracy

Ian Goddard (Ian@Goddard.net)
Sat, 30 Jan 1999 04:36:14 -0500

Has anyone heard of "Spontaneous Group Accuracy" (SGA)? I've not been able to find any more about SGA than the following from a Libertarian Party fund-raising letter:

"When a large group of people make an 'educated
guess' -- say, about the height of Mt. Everest

"Why? Because some people guess high. Some
people guess low. But the average tends to inexorably zero in on the correct answer. And the more people, the more accurate they get.

"Surprised? You shouldn't be. It's the same
principle that makes free markets more efficient than a government planner. It's why millions of people, making individual decisions, come closest to 'predicting' what will satisfy the marketplace."


SGA may be a good example of a "group entity" since SGA is a unique identity attribute that belongs only to the group.



Visit Ian Williams Goddard ------> http://Ian.Goddard.net

"The more restrictions and prohibitions in the world,
the poorer people get." Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching)