Hmm. On further reflection, I now think I was wrong. Maybe Baez translates “utility” as something like “disability-adjusted life years saved.” And then he has a nonlinear function from DALYs saved to utility-in-the-technical-sense. Voila, risk aversion (for gambles on DALYs) makes sense.
His definition of utility may well be different, as you say. But denial of the vN-M axioms is implied, even if not equivalent.
Can you elaborate? I don’t understand in what sense it is implied.
Hmm. On further reflection, I now think I was wrong. Maybe Baez translates “utility” as something like “disability-adjusted life years saved.” And then he has a nonlinear function from DALYs saved to utility-in-the-technical-sense. Voila, risk aversion (for gambles on DALYs) makes sense.
This is roughly what I was thinking, though you have expressed it much more clearly than I did.