The concept (although not so named) originated in 1785 with the [[Marquis de Condorcet]], whose "jury theorem" states that if each member of a voting group is more likely than not to make a correct decision, the probability that the highest vote of the group is the correct decision increases with the number of members of the group (see [[Condorcet's jury theorem]]). Many theorists have interpreted [[Aristotle]]'s statement in the [[Politics]] that "a feast to which many contribute is better than a dinner provided out of a single purse" to mean that just as many may bring different dishes to the table, so in a deliberation many may contribute different pieces of information to generate a better decision. Recent scholarship, however, suggests that this was probably not what Aristotle meant but is a modern interpretation based on what we now know about team intelligence. | The concept (although not so named) originated in 1785 with the [[Marquis de Condorcet]], whose "jury theorem" states that if each member of a voting group is more likely than not to make a correct decision, the probability that the highest vote of the group is the correct decision increases with the number of members of the group (see [[Condorcet's jury theorem]]). Many theorists have interpreted [[Aristotle]]'s statement in the [[Politics]] that "a feast to which many contribute is better than a dinner provided out of a single purse" to mean that just as many may bring different dishes to the table, so in a deliberation many may contribute different pieces of information to generate a better decision. Recent scholarship, however, suggests that this was probably not what Aristotle meant but is a modern interpretation based on what we now know about team intelligence. |