Game Theory in Fractured Society
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-09-08/a-game-theory-solution-for-a-fractured-america
We all know how fractured America is. With the recent riots in Charlestown as an example, politics exist in our every day lives, especially through every form of social media. We often see “political discussions” degenerate into shouting matches to see who has the “right” point of view. America is as divided as it has ever been, and people are constantly looking for ways to be divided on many fronts. Whether it’s politics, ideologies, or race, we find ways to look at others and disagree with them. However, concepts borrowed from Game theory can be brought in to help ease the volatility of the current American society.
In class, we discussed the prisoner’s dilemma in depth as an introduction to Game theory. Game theory is a process used to study decision making, doing so with mathematical models. We know that there are incentives for one prisoner confessing in hopes of the best reward, but they can minimize both of their sentences by cooperating and working together. However, as the game is played, self-interest wins and personal incentives prove to be their downfall. There is a phenomenon that occurs when the game is repeated an indefinite number of times, however. They two individuals start to cooperate. The author of the article sees this as a metaphor for human nature, as the individuals know they are going to have to work together and deal with each other for the unforeseeable future. This lends itself to current American partisanship, as it helps anyone who understands the metaphor see that “neither side is going anywhere.” This example shows the application of the knowledge we gained through game theory in contemporary American society.