Solving American Societal Divides by Teaching the Outcomes of the Prisoner’s Dilemma
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-09-08/a-game-theory-solution-for-a-fractured-america
The author if this article claims that the divide in American society has never been as strong as it is today. Although this claim can be hotly debated, it is true that, with the development of the modern social media and instant news networks, the social divide in America has never been as perpetuated as it is today. One can simply look around to see divides in beliefs, whether that divide in belief is political affiliation or financial responsibility. Even so, it is not simply this divide that represents the persisting problem in American society. People are becoming increasingly vocal and violent in the defense of their beliefs. There seems to be persistent clashing in various cities of the United States between those of opposing beliefs. Yet, there has been little done in mediating these conflicts.
The Bloomberg article proposes an examination of this issue using game theory. The author analogizes the prisoner’s dilemma to the divide in the US today. In the prisoner’s dilemma, both players are expected to backstab each other for their own personal gains. The payoff for each player would be maximized in this situation, especially in a blind game in which the players must predict whether the other player will confess or not. This is the same situation that the opposing groups in America face. In the face of an opponent group, the choice of aggression (whether that be in peaceful or violent protest, or continuously being vocal in media outlets) is the strategy with the best payoff for pushing a position whether the other group chooses to do the same. However, the author claims that this is a short-term game. As the prisoner’s dilemma is infinitely repeated, the players will realize that there is no point in backstabbing the other as they will both lose. Thus, they will be inclined to cooperate. And so, the author proposes to push this message, that because both groups will not be going away any time soon, the ultimate and eventual solution is to cooperate and reach a truce.