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1、TheDeterminatenessoftheUtilityFunctionAuthor(s):W.E.ArmstrongReviewedwork(s):Source:TheEconomicJournal,Vol.49,No.195(Sep.,1939),pp.453-467Publishedby:WileyonbehalfoftheRoyalEconomicSocietyStableURL:http://www.jstor.org/stable/2224802.Accessed:06/12/201200:05YouruseoftheJSTORarchiveindicatesyouracc
2、eptanceoftheTerms&ConditionsofUse,availableat.http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp.JSTORisanot-for-profitservicethathelpsscholars,researchers,andstudentsdiscover,use,andbuilduponawiderangeofcontentinatrusteddigitalarchive.Weuseinformationtechnologyandtoolstoincreaseproductivitya
3、ndfacilitatenewformsofscholarship.FormoreinformationaboutJSTOR,pleasecontactsupport@jstor.org..WileyandRoyalEconomicSocietyarecollaboratingwithJSTORtodigitize,preserveandextendaccesstoTheEconomicJournal.http://www.jstor.orgThiscontentdownloadedbytheauthorizeduserfrom192.168.72.228onThu,6Dec201200:
4、05:07AMAllusesubjecttoJSTORTermsandConditionsTHEDETERMINATENESSOFTHEUTILITYFUNCTION'IFORthepurposeofformulatingatheoryofvalue,theecono-mistassumesthatanindividualcanatanymomentberegardedasconfrontedwithanumberofalternativesbetweenwhichhemustchooseandthathischoiceisdeterminate,i.e.ifweknewalltherel
5、evantcircumstanceswecoulddeducewhichalternativeischosen.Buttheeconomistassumesthatitisunnecessaryforhimtoenquireintothisfulldetermination.Allthatherequirestoknowisacertainpartialdeterminationofhischoice.Ifhereliesontheevidencesofintrospection,hefindsthatanindividualsometimesprefersonealternativeto
6、anotherandsometimesisindifferentasbetweenalternatives.Ifheisindif-ferenttoanumberofalternativesbutprefersthesetoallotheralternativessimultaneouslypresentedtheeconomistassumes,ofcourse,thattheactualchoicemadeisdeterminate,buthealsoassumesthat,sofarasthedeterminationofvalueisconcerned,itmattersnotwh
7、ichofthealternatives,betweenwhichheisindifferent,ischosen.Inotherwords,hecanignorethosefactorsonwhichthechoiceofaparticularmemberofthisindifference-classdepends.Fromthepointofviewofeconomics,choicewithintheindiff