Nice Guys Finish First January 27, 2007
Posted by The Probabilist in : [Articles], Consciousness, Communication, Creativity, Games, Goals, Society, Productivity, Psychology, Relationships, Responsibility, Studies , add a comment
I watched this great documentary from 1987 by BBC Horizon, which was narrated/hosted by Richard Dawkins, author of the (im)popular book The God Delusion. I haven’t read the book, but I truly enjoyed this 45 minute presentation of human interaction and cooperation when sharing and dealing with resource allocation. Basically it raises the question if individuals truly only care for themselves or if there’s to be found any natural tendencies to provide altruistic deeds as well for the good of the self, a larger group and/or for the highest good of all.
While the video can be found on Google it might not be available for long, so I’ll cover the fundamental lessons learnt from it as well as my own take on it. The cornerstone of the research was conducted through an experiment called the prisoner’s dilemma. Here’s a description of how it works, what the winning strategy is and what I thought of it.
Two individuals are unable to interact with each other and need to choose between either Cooperating or Defecting. If both choose C, they both get 3 points. If both choose D, they both get 2 points. However, if one chooses C and the other D, the sucker gets 1 point while the greedy one gets 4. Then both of the “prisoners” follow this rule for several rounds only being told how they scored on each round.
Some fancy computer of the late 80s was used when inserting several different strategies into a program that would calculate the different strategies’ outcomes as they all matched up against each other in a long sequence of conducting this experiment. Among them were “cheats” always going for D, “suckers” always going for C, “grudgers” only going for D if confronted by a “cheat” and tens of other more complex and sophisticated strategies.
A quick glance shows that both choosing C scores the highest mutual points, six. The other alternatives are then either four or five. My initial response was that mutual C is self-evidently the best choice, no questions asked. However, if I know what the other participant chooses, D would be my best choice no matter what his/her choice was. So it is quite a dilemma after all. The challenge arises when you make the experiment into a sequence of choices - either building or breaking trust between the two.
The winning strategy that scored the most points when dealing with all other strategies that were programmed, was “tit for tat”. This strategy consists of simply doing what the other participant did on the previous round. The strategy’s strong points lie in predictability, simplicity and strive for equality. It’s neither greedy nor gullible. And it neither manipulates nor gives in. It simply ends up telling the other person that mutual Defecting is worse for both and mutual Cooperation is best for both.
The reason I like the result of “tit for tat” coming out as the champion among all of the other strategies is firstly that it’s an observing role. It starts with a positive C and then goes on rewarding Cooperation and punishing Defecting as the test goes on. Secondly, it immediately responds on a greedy move by letting the other individual know that it won’t tolerate it. Thirdly, “tit for tat” understands that you can’t beat an average score of 3 unless you’re dealing with a chronic “sucker”. And let’s face it, there aren’t many suckers in the world who are happy with consecutive 1 pointers.
This is just one valuable insight Dawkins brings out. Other great examples are how other species come to reach a pattern of mutual cooperation with each other, how in sports you might also come to situations where mutual cooperation is the best solution and how in balancing and conserving natural resources it is best to think in terms of the prisoner’s dilemma. I’ve always known that nice guys finish first - in the long run. I hope you can watch the video so you can see the proof for yourself.
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Carnival of Improvement January 18, 2007
Posted by The Probabilist in : [News], Consciousness, Communication, Exercise, Health, Goals, Personal Growth, Productivity, Psychology, Relationships, Beliefs, Technology, Wealth, Work, Blogging, Investing, Carnivals , add a comment
Welcome! I’ve decided to organize and host a weekly carnival that shares the same purpose as this blog - to improve the quality and success rate of all things related to personal development. Following is explained what a carnival is, what the specifics of this particular one is, how and what kind of entries bloggers can submit and why this concept benefits all people involved, from reader to submitter to organizer.
A carnival aims to collect great articles from various bloggers and put them all together in a single blog post filled with the links to the submissions. The carnival organizer decides upon what kind of entries are wanted, how often and what kind of a description there is to each article, if any. Consider a blog carnival as a place to find great content from various authors where you can find not only great insights on the given subject, but also new blogs you want to bookmark or subscribe to.
I will publish a new carnival every Thursday, which means that the deadline for all submissions is Wednesday. Entries submitted after that will be evaluated for the following week’s carnival. There’s a limit of one entry per blogger and it is up to each submitter that the given information entered into the form is accurate. Nothing will be altered unless given a good reason. Entries are divided into seven categories presented below.
For now, there will be a maximum of five entries per category and the outlook of the carnival entries on this blog is subject to change. All carnivals will be posted under the [Links] category. To directly go to the submission form, click here.
For readers, the benefit of carnivals comes from the value of packing together several great articles into one place. Furthermore, readers are given a greater view of the current magnitude of the blogosphere within the given topic. For submitters, the value lies in increasing the traffic to their blogs and getting constructive feedback on their articles. Remember to leave comments! As for the organizer or host, traffic building is also a great motivator. Personally I will also receive the benefit of social bookmarking and pleasure of reading lots of great submissions that drive to excel even further.
This is it for now, Be sure to return for updates and upcoming carnival entries. 
Here’s the list that I’ll keep updating.
Carnival of Improvement 01
Carnival of Improvement 02
Carnival of Improvement 03
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