The Survival Game Quotes

“By contrast, highly defection-prone programs did on occasion defeat their opponents, particularly when paired with others that were excessively forgiving. But when highly aggressive programs encountered each other, the outcome wasn’t pretty: Each got caught up in a string of retaliatory defections so that they both ended up with low, punishing payoffs (mutual P). TIT-FOR-TAT, meanwhile, just kept moving along, defending itself against meanies while rewarding kindlies, and, of course, rewarding itself at the same time (via the comparatively high payoff, R). “Joint undertakings stand a better chance,” we learn from the ancient Greek playwright Euripedes, “when they benefit both sides.”9”
― David Philip Barash, The Survival Game: How Game Theory Explains the Biology of Cooperation and Competition

“But for now, let’s leave it that game theory seems to be a useful tool, not an end in itself. It can help clarify our thinking and, in some cases, even enable us to have a rollicking good time playing with our own minds and seeing familiar things in new ways. It isn’t, however, a holy grail, or even a map for how to find it.”
― David Philip Barash, The Survival Game: How Game Theory Explains the Biology of Cooperation and Competition

“Here’s how it works. Peace is generally thought to be the absence of conflict. Moreover, peace is often considered to be more natural than conflict, perhaps because it is more desirable. Fair enough … except that the results of this perspective can be troubling in their own right. If you truly believe that the normal state is for the lion to lie down with the lamb, for people to live together in unconflicted bliss, then you are likely to feel especially annoyed when difficulties arise. As a result, when conflicts of interest emerge—as they inevitably do—well-meaning but disappointed idealists are sorely tempted to blame someone for upsetting the peaceful applecart. Convinced that serious evil is afoot, the next step may be to eradicate the evildoer.”
― David Philip Barash, The Survival Game: How Game Theory Explains the Biology of Cooperation and Competition