Jane Austen, Game Theorist

by Michael Suk-Young Chwe

Game theoryOCothe study of how people make choices while interacting with othersOCois one of the most popular technical approaches in social science today. But as Michael Chwe reveals in his insightful new book, Jane Austen explored game theoryOCOs core ideas in her six novels roughly two hundred years agoOCoover a century before its mathematical development during the Cold War. "Jane Austen, Game Theorist" shows how this beloved writer theorized choice and preferences, prized strategic thinking, and analyzed why superiors are often strategically clueless about inferiors. Exploring a diverse range of literature and folktales, this book illustrates the wide relevance of game theory and how, fundamentally, we are all strategic thinkers.

291 pages, ebook

First published April 21, 2013