Final answer:
Phelps wins as he received 8 votes for and only 1 vote against, which is a clear majority. The majority signifies having more than half the votes in favor.
Step-by-step explanation:
The result of the majority decision with 8 votes for Phelps and 1 vote against is that Phelps wins. The concept of majority indicates that more than half of the votes are in favor of a particular option. In this case, 8 out of 9 votes are for Phelps, which is clearly more than half and therefore constitutes a majority. The process of determining a majority can be straightforward in simple voting scenarios like this one. However, complexities do arise in certain types of voting situations, such as when a voting cycle occurs or when multiple candidates split the vote of a certain faction, undermining the will of the majority, as noted in the examples provided with the question.