Social Welfare

AJE: There is no way to measure overall welfare
Owen: So what? There is no way to measure an individual’s happiness. But that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist or that it doesn’t matter.

(see here)

AJE: I agree that unmeasurable phenomena exist, and matter. But if they're unmeasurable how can we maximise them?

Imagine doing a survey of people who buy copies of "Champions League, We're Having a Laugh - The Official Everton FC Season Review 2004/05". They're each asked, on a three point scale, if they enjoyed watching it. I dare say that the only people who buy it are Evertonians, and will enjoy it very much. Does that mean we'd increase social happiness if the government buys everyone a copy? Of course not - preferences are subjective, and we can't make interpersonal comparisons.

What we can do, is provide an environment in which people are free to choose, free to plan, and free to associate so that whatever their goals are, they can make steps toward attaining it. Since we all have different ambitions, it's impossible to measure and compare how content we are. The government does not possess the knowledge required to help us attain our ends. All it can do is facilitate the means that we each choose.