Brian Skyrms Evolution of the Social Contract - 1661 Words

Skyrms book, Evolution of the Social Contract, offers a compelling explanation as to why individuals, when placed with one-shot prisoner s dilemmas, will often cooperate, or choose the equilibrium that will benefit both parties equally. He uses examples to outline how individuals of certain environments frequently engage in activities that benefit the group at their own personal expense. Using both game theory and decision theory, Skyrms explores problems with the social contract when it is applied to evolutionary dynamics. In the chapters of the book, he offers new insights into concepts such as sex and justice, commitment, and mutual aid. Skyrms writing goes beyond traditional game theory, and exposes some weaknesses in its†¦show more content†¦Skyrms uses further, more advanced examples to support the notion of evolved behaviors. He constructs an environment containing two categories of individuals: those that are greedy and those that are modest. The greedy indiv iduals claim 2/3 of the cake, while the modest only claim 1/3. Skyrms points out that the greedy individuals will benefit from being paired with the modest individuals, and may initially have an advantage. However, Skyrms also reveals that the greedy individuals will never gain anything when paired with one another (2/3 + 2/3 1). However, the modest individuals will gain 1/3 against the greedy individuals and 1/3 against other modest individuals. Given these circumstances, eventually the average gain for both greedy individuals and modest individuals will be 1/3, and the two groups will be at equilibrium. Skyrms further points out that ratio of greedy individuals to modest individuals is irrelevant, as negative feedback will eventually return the population proportions to equality (Skryms 12, 13). To further support the theory of an individual s evolved tendency to cooperate in a manner of 50/50 when given the opportunity, one could further elaborate on the above-mentioned example. Skyrms used a computer to create a mock environment where 10 pieces of cake were available for consumption.