A thread through the archive
Essays tagged “cooperation”. Follow an idea across the archive.
Scott examines why early Christianity's strategy of unconditional cooperation succeeded despite game theory predicting it should fail, and explores what this means for modern moral strategies.
Scott Alexander examines the role of slack in evolutionary systems, arguing that a balance between competition and cooperation often leads to optimal outcomes in various domains.
Scott Alexander reviews 'Hive Mind' by Garett Jones, which argues that national IQ matters more for economic success than individual IQ, while raising several criticisms of the book's methodology and conclusions.
A mythological tale contrasts the Goddess of Cancer's primal drives with the Goddess of Everything Else's push for cooperation and progress, showing how the latter gradually wins over creation.
Scott Alexander humorously explores the World Cup's complex rules, game theory in soccer, and unusual incentive structures in international tournaments.
Scott examines experimental data on how people actually behave in Prisoner's Dilemma and Ultimatum Game situations, finding that people use various heuristics like tit-for-tat and fairness considerations rather than purely rational strategies.
Scott explains how real-world solutions to Prisoner's Dilemmas work through social institutions, reputation systems, and evolved emotions like friendship and anger.
Scott introduces the Prisoners' Dilemma, showing how rational reasoning leads two criminals to defect against each other even when mutual cooperation would benefit both, then explores why iterating the dilemma doesn't fully solve the problem.
Scott proposes that guilt evolved as a costly signal to prove trustworthiness to potential cooperation partners, explaining why guilt involves public self-punishment and can even occur when someone hasn't done anything wrong.
Scott analyzes seven game theory concepts through his experiences playing Diplomacy, demonstrating how trust, enforcement mechanisms, revenge, and coalition-building work in practice, then proposes organizing a game among Less Wrong readers.