There is something irresistible about game theory. A branch of mathematics devoted to understanding social interaction and decision making, it holds relevance – and fascination – for students and practitioners of negotiation and dispute resolution. Economist Kenneth Boulding once described game theory as
…an intellectual X ray. It reveals the skeletal structure of those social systems where decisions interact, and it reveals, therefore, the essential structure of both conflict and collaboration.
I particularly enjoy examples of game theory drawn from ordinary daily life, and have collected its depictions in popular culture. Some favorites of mine include
- Charlie Brown, Lucy, and the football considered in a post from Minding Your Decisions, a blog about game theory and personal finance
- Various sites for playing the famous Prisoners’ Dilemma
- Game theory analysis of the toilet seat problem: up or down?: a scholarly article
- Nash equilibrium, the all-American pastime and base-stealing
- Numerous instances of “Rock, Paper, Scissors”, a game often used as a decision-making tool, including a Simpsons episode involving Bart and Lisa (Lisa: “Poor predictable Bart. Always takes ‘rock’. Bart: “Good ol’ ‘rock’. Nothin’ beats that!”); and the decision of a federal judge ordering two feuding lawyers to play the game to settle their dispute over the location of a deposition. (Speaking of the Simpsons and game theory, here’s a find: “Simpsons Decision-Making“, a PowerPoint presentation by a Georgia Tech professor of industrial and systems engineering.)
More examples of game theory in popular culture can be found at GameTheory.net, which offers interactive materials and games for game theory enthusiasts. There’s also a terrific collection of game theory video clips on YouTube (with thanks to the blog Grey Matters).
If you’d like to learn more about game theory from an expert who knows how to demystify it even for the mathematically challenged, get yourself a copy of Rock, Paper, Scissors: Game Theory in Everyday Life, by Len Fisher (who, incidentally, received the Ig Nobel Prize for his studies on the proper way to dunk a biscuit in a cup of tea). It’s an entertaining and highly informative read with plenty of real-life examples of game theory in action.
To help Americans separate fact from fiction in the media they consume, a new web site has launched, Ameritocracy, which describes itself as
a user-contributed and user-generated content site that allows people to judge the accuracy, credibility and relevancy of claims made by society’s leaders and information gatekeepers such as media and business.
The Ameritocracy community, made up of anyone who signs up for an account, submits and then rates quotes based on several scales, including accuracy, credibility, and relevance.
I’m personally not about to put my trust in the wisdom of crowds to help me assess the accuracy of the news stories or political claims presidential candidates make — not when at one time 70% of Americans believed that Saddam Hussein was linked to the attacks of 9/11 — and a disturbingly significant number continue to. I’ll trust to other sources for fact-checking, thank you very much.
Thanks to the always insightful Sanjana Hattotuwa at ICT for Peacebuilding for the link.
The internet abounds with communal gathering spots — places where like-minded souls can get or dispense advice, make friends or business connections, debate ideas, or share photos and other media.
Mashable, a social networking news source, rounds up an impressive 350 social networking sites where users can tap into the wisdom of crowds.
With sites for book lovers, business owners, sports enthusiasts, oenophiles, or families looking for ways to stay in touch or get organized, there is practically something for everyone.
(Hat tip to Duct Tape Marketing for the link.)
They say that there’s strength in numbers. And that’s the premise of a new web site, The Point, which bills itself as “a social platform for people to solve problems they can’t solve alone.”
Visitors to the site can register and create campaigns to encourage others to join their cause. Videos on the landing page of the site demonstrate the kind of individuals who can launch campaigns to instigate change: the Frustrated Consumer, the Unappreciated Employee, the Loving Parent, and the Concerned Citizen — archetypes that any of us can identify with.
The values on which The Point are based are straightforward:
The Point changes the way we participate in activities, removing the primary cause of inaction – not knowing if we will make a difference. The Point is a natural adaptation of collective action to the Web, and the most effective model for channeling frustration into coordinated, decisive action…
People want a way to make a difference, but many problems are so large that we feel powerless to solve them. People are not apathetic – most of us will help if we feel like we can make a difference.
By bringing people together in numbers sufficient to create change, The Point aims to “to empower people with an easy way to make the world the one they want.”
For those who say you can’t fight city hall, The Point may offer some hope.
(Hat tip to Bill Warters.)
