Spontaneous Group Accuracy

From: Ian Goddard (Ian@Goddard.net)
Date: Sat Jan 30 1999 - 02:36:14 MST


 
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
   -- the average of our answers is far more
   accurate than most individual answers.

   "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."

---- end of quote ----------------------------------------

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

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

  



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