On equivalence classes of fuzzy connectives-the case of fuzzy integrals

An equivalence relation between connectives (or operators) in the framework of multiple criteria decision-making is introduced. Two operators are said to be equivalent if they lead to the same ranking of alternatives. Some general results to find equivalence classes of operators are given through the concept of level surfaces. In a second part, these results are applied to the case of discrete fuzzy integrals, which are considered here as n-place operators. First, some general results on the situation of fuzzy integrals among fuzzy operators are given and then the equivalence classes of fuzzy integrals