09 January, 2011

More on the Prisoner's Dilemma

So, I read up more on the Prisoner's Dilemma, which I think can be expanded to use as a metaphor for what is happening to our world right now in terms of uses of resources.

People are generally self-interested, and in a world with limited resources (somewhat like a prison), it's natural that a lot of people are going to use as many resources as possible (which in the PD could be analogous to pleading guilty). This can't be compared to the classic version of the PD, in which neither prisoner knows how the other has pleaded, because people tend to advertise their uses of resources somewhat; having a big house, big cars, wearing jewellry and fancy clothes, etc.

There are many who don't use as many resources, because they don't have the opportunity to -- they have little money to buy their use. But there are many who do have the opportunity, and despite this use self-restraint. They use as many resources as they can , because they know that this w

Awww... just found that a congresswoman from Arizona was shot in the head yesterday. Don't feel like writing anymore, but will get back to this later.

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