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Back to Kahneman

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  • Read, Daniel

Abstract

This paper examines Daniel Kahneman’s concept of experienced utility and its roots in Bentham’s hedonic utilitarianism. It focuses on Kahneman’s call for a ‘separate value judgement’ to determine when experienced utility can be used to evaluate temporally extended outcomes (TEOs). Two potential judgements are proposed: comprehensiveness and personal independence. Comprehensiveness means that the measurement of utility captures all relevant aspects of instant utility. Personal independence means that the TEO is fully independent of other TEOs with which it might be combined (or ‘concatenated’). I argue that identifying TEOs meeting these criteria may be challenging, possibly restricting the applicability of experienced utility. I conclude by considering the implications for behavioural science’s quest for an unambiguous, measurable operationalisation of utility.

Suggested Citation

  • Read, Daniel, 2025. "Back to Kahneman," Behavioural Public Policy, Cambridge University Press, vol. 9(2), pages 301-310, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:bpubpo:v:9:y:2025:i:2:p:301-310_5
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