0 saved
6.3K views
One of the most popular models in game theory, the prisoner’s dilemma represents a compelling story with a range of takeaways.
< ...Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nihil opus est exemplis hoc facere longius. Nam his libris eum malo quam reliquo ornatu villae delectari. Quae diligentissime contra Aristonem dicuntur a Chryippo. Hoc etsi multimodis reprehendi potest, tamen accipio, quod dant. At habetur! Et ego id scilicet nesciebam! Sed ut sit, etiamne post mortem coletur? Duo Reges: constructio interrete. His similes sunt omnes, qui virtuti student levantur vitiis, levantur erroribus, nisi forte censes Ti. Quod ea non occurrentia fingunt, vincunt Aristonem; Quamquam tu hanc copiosiorem etiam soles dicere. Theophrastus mediocriterne delectat, cum tractat locos ab Aristotele ante tractatos?
Res enim se praeclare habebat, et quidem in utraque parte. Pugnant Stoici cum Peripateticis. Non modo carum sibi quemque, verum etiam vehementer carum esse? A primo, ut opinor, animantium ortu petitur origo summi boni. In his igitur partibus duabus nihil erat, quod Zeno commutare gestiret. Nihil minus, contraque illa hereditate dives ob eamque rem laetus. Hoc ne statuam quidem dicturam pater aiebat, si loqui posset. Traditur, inquit, ab Epicuro ratio neglegendi doloris. Esse enim, nisi eris, non potes. Si enim ad populum me vocas, eum.
Quia nec honesto quic quam honestius nec turpi turpius. Ac tamen hic mallet non dolere. Iam in altera philosophiae parte. Nunc dicam de voluptate, nihil scilicet novi, ea tamen, quae te ipsum probaturum esse confidam. Graccho, eius fere, aequalí? Huius, Lyco, oratione locuples, rebus ipsis ielunior.
- Identify win-wins.
Take time to consider the possible win-wins, even with potential competitors. What ar ...
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Levatio igitur vitiorum magna fit in iis, qui habent ad virtutem progressionis aliquantum. Animum autem reliquis rebus ita perfecit, ut corpus; Piso, familiaris noster, et alia multa et hoc loco Stoicos irridebat: Quid enim? Quae cum dixisset paulumque institisset, Quid est? Qua ex cognitione facilior facta est investigatio rerum occultissimarum. Innumerabilia dici possunt in hanc sententiam, sed non necesse est.
Pauca mutat vel plura sane; Quem ad modum quis ambulet, sedeat, qui ductus oris, qui vultus in quoque sit? Quod si ita se habeat, non possit beatam praestare vitam sapientia. Quo modo autem philosophus loquitur?
Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Et ais, si una littera commota sit, fore tota ut labet disciplina. Sed potestne rerum maior esse dissensio? Et quod est munus, quod opus sapientiae? Quo studio Aristophanem putamus aetatem in litteris duxisse? Et certamen honestum et disputatio splendida! omnis est enim de virtutis dignitate contentio. Omnes enim iucundum motum, quo sensus hilaretur.
In real life, we mostly deal with repeated Prisoner's Dilemmas, where we can choose strategies to reward cooperation or punish betrayal over time. The incentives that individual decision-makers face are also altered by collective action such as rules, laws, and social punishment.
We generally also have the opportunity to communicate within our versions of the prisoner’s dilemma, so we can negotiate and seek a level of confidence not possible in the story.
Listen to this amazing podcast episode of golden balls.
Radiolab presents a truly gripping investigation into a game show based on the prisoner's dilemma. It really is fantastic storytelling and is highly recommended as a fascinating insight into this model.
Global warming.
If countries acted cooperatively, they would cut carbon emissions to help reduce global warming, possibly taking a hit to their economy as a result (let’s put renewable and green driven economies to one side for this example). However, if a country believes that another country will not take the action required then they might fear for the resulting economic advantage they will gain. The mistrust underlying a cooperative strategy, even when it's in everyone's interests, might lead to an individual strategy rather than a cooperative one.
Cigarette advertising.
A common example cited in relation to the prisoner’s dilemma is the cigarette industry. When cigarette advertising was legalised in the US competing firms theoretically could benefit from not advertising and sharing the market. If one advertised, they would gain a dominant share, however, if both advertised they would split the market and have less profit because of advertising costs. It is of course more complex than that, particularly in terms of growing a market with advertising, but that challenge plays itself out in a range of contexts.
The Prioner's Dillema is part of game theory, and provides an understanding of how we can work together, or not.
Use the following examples of connected and complementary models to weave the prisoner’s dilemma into your broader latticework of mental models. Alternatively, discover your own connections by exploring the category list above.
Connected models:
- Game theory: the prisoner’s dilemma is a model from game theory.
- Mutually assured destruction: in terms of finding a shared, often counterintuitive, interest.
Complementary models:
- Red Queen effect: in considering a potentially escalating competitive environment.
- Divide and conquer: splitting the battle rather than fighting head on.
- Cialdini’s six principles of influence: to create greater connection and trust.
- BATNA: in the context of negotiated solutions.
- SCARF model: to understand when mistrust and threat dominate.
The Prisoner's Dilemma was originally posed by mathematicians Merrill Flood and Melvin Dresher while working for Rand corporation in the 1950s. It was actually named sometime later by Princeton mathematician Albert Tucker.
The model gained a boost of profile when it was featured in Robert Axelrod’s book, The Evolution of Cooperation in 1994. Now in its fifth edition, the book is the foundation for the ‘tit for tat’ strategy outlined in this model’s summary during iterative prisoner’s dilemma scenarios. Though he did note it was dependent on a number of factors. You can read more about his research in this New York Times article.
Finally, if you want to experience the concepts in the Prisoner's Dilemma, it's worth investing about 30m into this free interactive and educational game.
My Notes
Oops, That’s Members’ Only!
Fortunately, it only costs US$5/month to Join ModelThinkers and access everything so that you can rapidly discover, learn, and apply the world’s most powerful ideas.
ModelThinkers membership at a glance:
“Yeah, we hate pop ups too. But we wanted to let you know that, with ModelThinkers, we’re making it easier for you to adapt, innovate and create value. We hope you’ll join us and the growing community of ModelThinkers today.”
You Might Also Like:
- Actionable summaries of the world's most powerful ideas.
Subscribe now and download this practical guide to transform your thinking, plus recieve one short, powerful and actionable idea in your inbox each month.