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Moral Calculations

Game Theory, Logic, and Human Frailty

  • Book
  • © 1998

Overview

Authors:
  1. László Mérő
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Table of contents (15 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xi
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  2. Games of Morality

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
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    2. Auction and Posing

      • László Mérő
      Pages 3-14

    3. The Brute as Hero

      • László Mérő
      Pages 15-27

    4. The Prisoner’s Dilemma

      • László Mérő
      Pages 28-47

    5. The Golden Rule

      • László Mérő
      Pages 48-66

    6. The Bluff

      • László Mérő
      Pages 67-80

  3. The Sources of Diversity

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 81-81
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    2. John von Neumann’s Game Theory

      • László Mérő
      Pages 83-102

    3. Competition for a Common Goal

      • László Mérő
      Pages 103-118

    4. Hawks and Doves

      • László Mérő
      Pages 119-134

    5. Socialism and Free Enterprise

      • László Mérő
      Pages 135-149

    6. Games Elementary Particles Play

      • László Mérő
      Pages 150-171

  4. The Psychology of Rationality

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 173-173
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    2. Loves Me, Loves Me Not...

      • László Mérő
      Pages 175-190

    3. Rational Irrationality

      • László Mérő
      Pages 191-207

    4. Collective Rationality

      • László Mérő
      Pages 208-224

    5. The Heterogeneity of Human Thought

      • László Mérő
      Pages 225-241

    6. There Are Many Ways to Nirvana

      • László Mérő
      Pages 242-259

  5. Back Matter

    Pages 261-276
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Keywords

About this book

Are people ever rational? Consider this: You auction off a one-dollar bill to the highest bidder, but you set the rules so that the second highest bidder also has to pay the amount of his last bid, even though he gets nothing. Would people ever enter such an auction? Not only do they, but according to Martin Shubik, the game's inventor, the average winning bid (for a dollar, remember) is $3.40. Many winners report that they bid so high only because their opponent "went completely crazy." This game lies at the intersection of three subjects of eternal fascination: human psychology, morality, and John von Neumann's game theory. Hungarian game-theorist Laszlo Mero introduces us to the basics of game theory, including such concepts as zero-sum games, Prisoner's Dilemma and the origins of altruism; shows how game theory is applicable to fields ranging from physics to politics; and explores the role of rational thinking in the context of many different kinds of thinking. This fascinating, urbane book will interest everyone who wonders what mathematics can tell us about the human condition.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Moral Calculations

  • Book Subtitle: Game Theory, Logic, and Human Frailty

  • Authors: László Mérő

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-1654-4

  • Publisher: Copernicus New York, NY

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

  • Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media New York 1998

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-387-98419-3Published: 01 July 1998

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-1-4612-7232-8Published: 17 October 2012

  • eBook ISBN: 978-1-4612-1654-4Published: 06 December 2012

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XI, 276

  • Additional Information: Original Hungarian edition published by Tericum Kiado, 1995

  • Topics: Game Theory, Economics, Social and Behav. Sciences, Psychology, general, Combinatorics, Operations Research/Decision Theory

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