PAIGE! 🍁Mar 6
Don’t think I’ve ever seen a difference
where #canada and #usa were polar opposites before.
Show threadGreenDotGuyMar 6

@paige What even is the game theory for a rational actor in a democracy who thinks most of their countrymates are 'bad'?

Like, how do participants in behavioral tests play when they are told that more than half their adversaries are scoundrels and cheaters?

It certainly explains the awful driving here in the USA.

Show threadzbrownMar 6

@DarcMoughty @paige other polling suggests something like maybe half y'all believe some variation on a theme of ‘the rapture’ is imminent, which sure explains a few things as well.

Democracy and all the rest kinda falls apart when enough people don't even think there is a tomorrow.

Show threadMathiasTCKMar 7
@zbrown @DarcMoughty @paige the Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma teaches us that defect is dominant on the last round, or for any fixed length game. It's when you expect an indefinitely long or infinite series of games that cooperation emerges.
Show threadzbrownMar 7
@mathiastck @DarcMoughty @paige yes exactly, if there is no tomorrow why worry about it? there is really no incentive to do anything out of your *right now* self-interest
Show threadMathiasTCK

@zbrown @DarcMoughty @paige a friend sent me what can be seen as a variant problem:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newcomb%27s_problem

#NewcombsProblem

It depends upon a predictor, and has lots of interesting related analysis.

In his 1969 article, #Nozick noted that "To almost everyone, it is perfectly clear and obvious what should be done. The difficulty is that these people seem to divide almost evenly on the problem, with large numbers thinking that the opposing half is just being silly."

Newcomb's problem - Wikipedia

Mar 31 at 5:26pmMastodon for Android