Rocks, Papers, Scissors Book Review

Reading a math book can be a tragedy especially when the one reading it do not have a proper mathematical background. A book concerning math (specifically the game theory), which does not really explains its matters with lots of math, is really an interesting book to read. The Rocks, Papers, Scissors: Game Theory in Everyday Life of Len Fisher links the concepts of game theory to everyday life situation. The book welcomes you to the journey in search for answers to some of our most intriguing social questions.

Have you ever heard of the Prisoner’s Dilemma?  When John Nash discovered the hidden logical trap, it led us to a disturbing series of social dilemmas. In the Tragedy of the Commons, the best overall outcome is produced by cooperation, but self-interest could bring individuals to cheat on the cooperation. An example of what game theorists call the Prisoner’s Dilemma is this story:

There were two thieves caught by the police. The prosecutor has enough evidence to imprison them for two years due to carrying concealed weapon rather than accusing them of burglary with a maximum penalty of ten years. The two thieves plead guilty but the prosecutor has something in mind that could change their pleas. His first encounter was with thieve A. He said that if thieve B plead guilty and he doesn’t, thieve B will only have four years in prison and thieve A will be the one to receive the maximum penalty of ten years. So it is better if thieve A will also plead guilty to receive four years rather than ten. But the prosecutor offered him another deal that if thieve B will not plead guilty and thieve A does, thieve A can be free for turning over state’s evidence. The prosecutor had offered the same talk with thieve B and they both found pleading guilty better than any other choices. As a result, they both got the four-year sentence rather than the two years they might have received if both of them just remained silent.

The world is facing serious problems relating to this Prisoner’s Dilemma. An example is the arms race which activated in the 1950s. The goal is to minimize arms production to use the money for more constructive purposes. This could benefit everyone but no nation could afford to be disarmed so long as other countries continued to build up stocks of nuclear weapons. The global warming which is a menace to everyone is still not given the right act ion because it is still troubled by a contradicting logic. Many polluting countries do not see the benefit of controlling carbon emissions because there are also other nations which cause continuous pollution.

Social dilemmas were at last understood through the discovery of John Nash in 1949. He made his discovery of basic logical trap when he was just twenty-one and not yet having his mental illness, schizophrenia. Nash was a genius. He was just eighteen when he identified the logical trap now called as the Nash Equilibrium: “It is a position in which both sides have selected a strategy without ending up in a less desirable position.”

According to the author, communication and negotiation are the twin keys that can unlock social dilemmas. Through these keys, we are permitted to share information and our own ideas to others. In this way alliances can be formed wherein coordination and joint agreement can coexist. Also, according to him, effects of social dilemmas of game theory and the real world concerns trust issues. If we will be able to trust one another, dilemmas could suddenly disappear. When we trust each other, we are free to deliver our thoughts to others. We can negotiate about things which needed our actions and we can coordinate our strategies to formulate best solutions. We should not break agreements just because of our selfish acts that patronize personal interests.  We should be able to trust and be able to free our minds with the possibilities of being cheated. Free yourself from the act of retaliating. As what Oscar Wilde said, “always forgive your enemies, nothing annoys them so much.”