The Prisoner's Dilemma By Roberty Axelrod

1376 Words6 Pages

About the Author Mr. Roberty Axelrod is the professor of Political Sciences and Public Policy at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He is also a member of the American National Academy of Sciences and American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is best-known for his research on the evolution of cooperation. Summary of the Book This book is very famous for its analysis on the infinite prisoner’s dilemma and the attempt to find a solution towards it, especially when it occurs under the situation when there is no general regulator. One of the most typical example of this circumstance would be the international world which could be argued as an anarchy. Under such situation 2when selfish stakeholders are constantly trying to benefit themselves, the author is trying to discover “ Under what condition will cooperation emerge in a world of egoists without central authority?” Other than international cooperation, a few of the peripherally related topics are also included, such as trench warfare in WW1, …show more content…

The result is surprising simple and straightforward: it turns out that the best solution for the infinite game is Tit-for-Tat, which means retaliation, or an equivalent to an action given in return. The author tries to explain the reason why Tit-for-Tat could have so good performance in the game and find the following characteristics of this strategy that helps it succeed: It is kind and nice, which means it won’t be the first one to create trouble It is retaliatory, thus making the person who wants to defect first desist It is forgiving, giving the opportunity for cooperation even though the past experience might not be