MODERN UTILITY THEORY: 1940-1970.

Abstract

The paper reviews significant developments in utility theory during the past twenty-five years, beginning with the axioms of von Neumann and Morgenstern, and then indicates where additional development may come in the next several years. Axiomatic systems and their main implications for a variety of areas in utility theory are are discussed. Included are three approaches to cardinal utility theory (gambles, preference differences, stochasticchoice probabilities) and an axiomatization of multidimensional utility theory, as well as a number of related topics, including independence, additivity, and stationarity. Ties between axiomatic systems are noted. The paper also presents two related axiomatizations of subjective probability and utility and discusses the relevance of utility theory in decision theory, in both its predictive and prescriptive phases. (Author)

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 1965
Accession Number
AD0625047

Entities

People

  • Peter C. Fishburn

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Applied Mathematics
  • Decision Theory
  • Game Theory
  • Interdisciplinary Science
  • Mathematics
  • Probability

Fields of Study

  • Economics

Readers

  • Game Theory.
  • Mathematical Modeling and Probability Theory.
  • Technical Research and Report Writing.