A philosophy for multiattribute evaluation in environmental impact assessments

Abstract It is suggested that the use of multiattribute or multicriteria methods for project evaluation in the environmental impact assessment procedure presents the decision-makers with too little information for a final political judgment. To correct this situation it is proposed that the numerical rankings of projects derived from the measured preferences of the various interest groups should be finally judged in the light of their supporting public interest argument. This paper describes a theoretical underpinning for this view based on the insights of linguistic philosophy and the philosophy of the public interest.

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