|
A want is simply a
desire for something. I make no distinction between a want and a need.
I do not presume any hierarchy of wants nor do I presume the lack of a
hierarchy. I do assume that there are various levels of intensity of
wanting something and that we can assign a numerical value to the
intensity. A greater numerical number implies a greater intensity of
wanting. Want intensity is a rank order value only.
The intensity of the
want is not the same as the amount of that which is wanted. If I am
dying of thirst in the desert I will have an intense desire for a glass
of water. If I am a farmer and my crops need another 10,000 cu. ft. of
water, I will also want water but one cannot compare the quantity of
water wanted in these two cases as indicating anything about the
intensity of the want.
A want that is
satisfied relieves one of the immediate pressure of desire, however
rather than say that the want no longer exists or is reduced in
intensity, I will introduce the concept of unsatisfied want. I define
the unsatisfied want level for a specific thing as want level minus the
level of want satisfied. If these are to be useful concepts in a
quantitative approach we must define how, at least in principle, two of
these three can be measured.
The purpose of our
relations is to satisfy our wants; therefore I propose the following
definition
(6.1)
where
 is
the satisfaction level of want k for entity j,
 is
the relation distance between entity j and entity n for want k,
N is
the number of entities with whom entity j has a want k relation.
It is convenient to
introduce the concept of the root mean square (rms) of relation
distances.
(6.2)
We can now write
 ,
for 
 ,
for  (6.3)
where
 is
the unsatisfied k want for entity j,
 is
the k want level for entity j.
In general we
experience.
When we experience,
we know that .
This gives us the means to measure.
Since is
given by definition, we can calculate.
ç
Prior Page of Text
Next Page of Text
è
(C) 2005-2014 Wayne M. Angel.
All rights reserved. |
