"opthalimity" is no greek word. The word ophthalmos means "eye" but clearly
is not relevant. As it has been pointed out the correct word is ophelimity
(Pareto's ophelimite') from the Greek word o^phe'limos meaning useful. The
entry in the Greek dictionary LSJ is
*ὠφέλ-ι^μος<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=w%29fe%2Fl-i%5Emos&la=greek>
* , ον<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=on&la=greek&prior=w)fe/l-i%5Emos>,
rarely η <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=h&la=greek&prior=on>,
ον <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=on&la=greek&prior=h>, *Pl.
Chrm.174d<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:abo:tlg,0059,018:174d&lang=original>
* (dub. l.), *R.607d<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:abo:tlg,0059,030:607d&lang=original>
*:—
*A. **helping, aiding, useful, serviceable, beneficial,* sts. of persons, as
*Id.Men.98c<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:abo:tlg,0059,024:98c&lang=original>
*, *R.461b<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:abo:tlg,0059,030:461b&lang=original>
* (Comp.), *X.Mem.2.7.9<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:abo:tlg,0032,002:2:7:9&lang=original>
*: but more freq. of things,
*Th.2.46<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:abo:tlg,0003,001:2:46&lang=original>
*, etc.; τινι<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=tini&la=greek&prior=on>to
one,
*E.Ion138<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:abo:tlg,0006,010:138&lang=original>
* (lyr.), *Th.4.44<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:abo:tlg,0003,001:4:44&lang=original>
*, *7.64<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:abo:tlg,0003,001:7:64&lang=original>
*, etc.; ἔς<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=e%29%2Fs&la=greek&prior=tini>
τι <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=ti&la=greek&prior=e)/s> for
a purpose, *Id.3.68<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:abo:tlg,0003,001:3:68&lang=original>
*; “πρὸς<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=pro%5Cs&la=greek&prior=ti>
τὰς<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=ta%5Cs&la=greek&prior=pro%5Cs>
πολιτείας<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=politei%2Fas&la=greek&prior=ta%5Cs>”
*Pl.R.607d<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:abo:tlg,0059,030:607d&lang=original>
*; “ὑπέρ<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=u%28pe%2Fr&la=greek&prior=politei/as>
τινος<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=tinos&la=greek&prior=u(pe/r>”
*X. Cyr.6.2.34<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:abo:tlg,0032,007:6:2:34&lang=original>
*; “κρίνειν<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=kri%2Fnein&la=greek&prior=tinos>
τι <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=ti&la=greek&prior=kri/nein>
ὠ <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=w%29&la=greek&prior=ti>.” *
Th.1.22<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:abo:tlg,0003,001:1:22&lang=original>
*; τὸ <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=to%5C&la=greek&prior=w)>
ὠ <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=w%29&la=greek&prior=to%5C>.as
Subst.,
*Pl.R.457d<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:abo:tlg,0059,030:457d&lang=original>
*; τὸ <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=to%5C&la=greek&prior=w)>
ὑμῖν<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=u%28mi%3Dn&la=greek&prior=to%5C>“
ὠ <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=w%29&la=greek&prior=u(mi=n>.”
*Th.1.76<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:abo:tlg,0003,001:1:76&lang=original>
*, cf. *E.* l. c.: Comp. and Sup.,
-ώτερος<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=w%2Fteros&la=greek&prior=w)>,
-ώτατος<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=w%2Ftatos&la=greek&prior=w/teros>
, *Th.1.93<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:abo:tlg,0003,001:1:93&lang=original>
*, *Pl.R.461b<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:abo:tlg,0059,030:461b&lang=original>
*, *Tht.179a<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:abo:tlg,0059,006:179a&lang=original>
*. Adv. “-μως<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=mws&la=greek&prior=w/tatos>”
*X.Mem.4.4.1<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:abo:tlg,0032,002:4:4:1&lang=original>
*, *Pl.Grg.470a<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:abo:tlg,0059,023:470a&lang=original>
*, *Chrm. 163c<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:abo:tlg,0059,018:163c&lang=original>
*: Sup. “-ώτατα<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=w%2Ftata&la=greek&prior=mws>”
*X.Eq.6.1<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:abo:tlg,0032,013:6:1&lang=original>
*.
Henry George Liddell. Robert Scott. A Greek-English Lexicon. revised and
augmented throughout by. Sir Henry Stuart Jones. with the assistance of.
Roderick McKenzie. Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1940.
See Georgescu-Roegen's entry "ophelimity" in Palgrave 1987 (the accent in
ophelimos is misplaced) and his 'Vilfredo Pareto and his theory of
ophelimity', Atti dei Convegni Lincei: Convegno Internazionale Vilfredo
Pareto, Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Rome, pp. 223-65 also in ch
27 Vilfredo
Pareto: critical assessments of leading economists By John Cunningham Wood,
Michael McLure.
Apart from Colander's
http://www.aeaweb.org/articles.php?doi=10.1257/jep.21.2.215 and
http://community.middlebury.edu/~colander/articles/utility%20and%20applied%20ec.pdf
see
C. F. Camerer "The Potential of Neuronomics" Economics and
Philosophy<http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=F90634A158FC1A42C58DB5658019E265.tomcat1?fromPage=online&aid=2597684#>(2008),
24 : 369-379 doi:10.1017/S0266267108002022 and S. Zamagni,
"Georgescu-Roegen on consumer theory" in Bioeconomics and sustainability:
essays in honor of Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen By Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen,
Kōzō Mayumi, John M. Gowdym Elgar, 1999.
The machines are Edgeworth's hedonimeter and possibly psychogalvanometer
(quod google). See in particular Appendix III On Hedonimetry in Mathematical
psychics 1881 pp.98-102, particularly p. 101. That such measurements may
put into no good cause see p. 81. (Also Peart & Levy, The vanity of the
philosopher, p 152 et seq.)
On Thu, Jul 8, 2010 at 8:18 AM, Robin Neill <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Colleagues:
>
> Within the past six months I ran across a statement that
> a mid to late nineteenth century, mathematical economist
> suggested the usefullness of a "opthalimity meter" - to
> objectively measure "satisfaction". I have had no success
> in again finding the statement, and I cannot even remember
> who the economist was. Can any of you?
>
> Robin Neill
>
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