Term

Prisoner's dilemma

A game in which each player does better not to cooperate, whatever the other does, although together they would win more.

Game Theory: A Very Short Introduction, Ken Binmore

Explained in

• Game Theory: A Very Short Introduction, Ken Binmore
• The Art of Strategy, Avinash Dixit, Barry Nalebuff

  A classic problem of game theory: each participant on their own does better by acting selfishly, although both would do better if they cooperated.

• The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins

  A problem from game theory: each of two players does better by betraying, but if both betray, both end up worse off than if they had cooperated.

• Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions, Brian Christian, Tom Griffiths

  A classic case from game theory: two people each choose what is best for themselves and together end up worse off than they could have been.

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