Leonstein
25-07-2005, 07:06
Some of you may be familiar with the concept of "Game Theory". If you aren't, browse Wiki, or google it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Theory
Looking at various, fairly simple games during my studies, I have increasingly come to the opinion that Game Theory is vastly underrated as far as its everyday applicability is concerned.
Most importantly for this discussion, I will focus on a single simple game that will be repeated for an infinite number of times. I will use Torture as an example.
***********************************Others
************************Torture*****************Don't Torture
America**Torture***********-10,-10*****************20,-20
********Don't Torture******-20,20******************10,10
In this table, you can see the two different strategies available to the two players, and a number presents the profit to be made from that strategy, depending on what the other side uses. The first number denotes the US's profit, the second the other's profit.
Now, if this game was played a limited number of times, and they would play in turns, then everyone would be tortured. Why? Because in the last turn, the player cannot be retaliated against, so he will torture. But the other player knows that he will do this, so he will torture in the second-last turn and so on.
But if the game is repeated forever - then that will not happen. Both sides have a choice, but both sides know that if they torture, the other side will retaliate, and everyone will be worse off.
So what happens in the real world? Everyone sits around a table and signs something called "The Geneva Convention".
The very same thing could be said for using nuclear weapons. Both sides know the other would retaliate, so they forfit some profit (nuking the others into the dust) to avoid losing more in the future (being nuked themselves).
Is that comparison valid? What do you think?
Can you think of more situations in which game theory can/should be applied in the real world?
Is Game Theory the long lost reasoning behind ethics and morality if you don't believe in Religion?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Theory
Looking at various, fairly simple games during my studies, I have increasingly come to the opinion that Game Theory is vastly underrated as far as its everyday applicability is concerned.
Most importantly for this discussion, I will focus on a single simple game that will be repeated for an infinite number of times. I will use Torture as an example.
***********************************Others
************************Torture*****************Don't Torture
America**Torture***********-10,-10*****************20,-20
********Don't Torture******-20,20******************10,10
In this table, you can see the two different strategies available to the two players, and a number presents the profit to be made from that strategy, depending on what the other side uses. The first number denotes the US's profit, the second the other's profit.
Now, if this game was played a limited number of times, and they would play in turns, then everyone would be tortured. Why? Because in the last turn, the player cannot be retaliated against, so he will torture. But the other player knows that he will do this, so he will torture in the second-last turn and so on.
But if the game is repeated forever - then that will not happen. Both sides have a choice, but both sides know that if they torture, the other side will retaliate, and everyone will be worse off.
So what happens in the real world? Everyone sits around a table and signs something called "The Geneva Convention".
The very same thing could be said for using nuclear weapons. Both sides know the other would retaliate, so they forfit some profit (nuking the others into the dust) to avoid losing more in the future (being nuked themselves).
Is that comparison valid? What do you think?
Can you think of more situations in which game theory can/should be applied in the real world?
Is Game Theory the long lost reasoning behind ethics and morality if you don't believe in Religion?