Non • Zero • Sum James

We join Diderot, a very bright man made a fool by circumstance, to introduce an essential idea in understanding economics and non-zero-sum games—the issue of relative vs absolute gains. | For the original post, including links and references visit: https://nonzerosum.games/absolutevsrelative.html

Ever noticed that the first slice of pizza is always the best and each slice afterwards never quite matches up? Well, welcome to The Law of Diminishing Returns . | For links and more info: https://nonzerosum.games/diminishingreturns.html

Every Friday our family settles in for  family movie night —it's the highlight of the week, especially for the person who's "turn" it is—my wife, daughter and I take turns sharing a movie we love. Our eventual decision to take turns reflects the conclusions of game theory's... The Battle of the Sexes . | To continue exploring check out the main page: https://nonzerosum.games/...

Inspired by a recent trip to Tanzania, I couldn't help see game theory in action. | For links and pics: https://nonzerosum.games/chicken.html

Take-it-or-leave-it. In this game, you are given $10. To keep the money, you have to give a portion of this $10 away to another player. If we take the contained, rational and self-interested assumptions of game theory, the  dominant strategy  is simple: give the other player as little as possible. The catch is, if the other player rejects your offer, you both get nothing. | For all the links, pict...

Dealing with public goods, free riders and exploitation. | For links, pics and to join the discussion: https://nonzerosum.games/socialdilemmas.html

Two hunters can cooperate to catch a  stag  (a difficult but highly rewarding prize) or each can safely hunt a  hare  (a lower-value but guaranteed meal). | For links and images visit the page: https://nonzerosum.games/staghunt.html

We've considered how  the Prisoner's Dilemma reveals a number of key concepts in game theory . Yet, I have  some  reservations that it is the field's best advocate for applying game theory  in the real world . This episode will outline the problems with using the Prisoner's Dilemma as our go-to scenario. | For illustrations and links, check out the original post: https://nonzerosum...

The Prisoner's Dilemma is the go-to example for  game theory   noobs  and experts alike. It's a  non-zero-sum game  that introduces payoff matrices, it has a  Nash Equilibrium  that is not also  Pareto Efficient  (helping to distinguish between the two) and when taken further, we discover that strategies change with  iterated games . It's got it all! Or does it? This post explains the...

It is high time I confront a phrase that is a major obstacle to moral dialogue; the refrain... well,  it's subjective. In this episode I make a case for the tractability of moral values. | The original post , with links can be visited here: https://nonzerosum.games/itssubjective.html | The post references consequentialist ethics, in particular Utilitarianism but doesn't fully flesh it out....

A Pareto efficient scenario is one where no one involved can change strategies without negatively impacting at least one player. It's a lens through which we can re-examine societal norms, interactions, and even our daily choices. While not a silver bullet for the complexities of fairness or social justice, it serves as a useful starting point for dialogue and finding potential improvements.

Nash Equilibrium as one of the key features to get to grips with in the field of game theory, it crops up everywhere. So, here are some simple examples and real world applications that you already take part in. | Read more about the Toastmasters Payoff: https://nonzerosum.games/confidence.html | We mention other classic scenarios, which you can check out here: | The Prisoner's Dilemma: https:/...

Non-Zero-Sum games  are just one aspect of the wider field of Game Theory; a fascinating field of mathematics that deals with models of conflict and cooperation among rational decision-makers. In this episode we familiarise ourselves with some of the key elements of game theory so we're primed for understanding. | This episode is based on our game theory glossary: https://nonzerosum.games/game...

Game theorist Liv Boeree describes herself as  pathologically competitive  and indeed, her life has been about "winning" in many ways. Introducing our first Non-Zero Hero, part of a series people out on the front lines preaching the gospel of non-zero-sum games. Liv is responsible for introducing me to Moloch. | Liv Won The European Poker Tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64GWjR4vKGs...

Coordination Problems are situations in Game Theory where coordinated solutions are required to solve complex problems, like those we've explored with Moloch —where we end up complicit in our own downfall. And we'll be exploring this through a story about one of my many childhood mishaps. | To read the original post visit: https://nonzerosum.games/unlockingsolutions.html | This episode men...

I mentioned in  Who is Moloch?  that the Canaanites were acting rationally by offering the occasional child for sacrifice, but that's not entirely true. We can actually find an optimal strategy through using some Game Theory! | To read the whole series visit: https://nonzerosum.games/map-moloch.html

Molochian systems—they're insidious, they're ubiquitous, and they're messing with your life in ways you might not even realise. Today, we're diving into four key examples of these pesky systems that can turn self-interest into a collective nightmare: Listicles, Bargain Hunting, Tax Havens, and Late-Stage Capitalism. | Yuval Noah Harari on Gossip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-X...

Moloch is a metaphor describing systems where individual rational decisions lead to collectively bad outcomes. This series explores how Moloch manifests, why it’s so hard to break free, and what strategies might help us escape these traps. | Links: | Read the illustrated post here: https://nonzerosum.games/whoismoloch.html | Liv Boeree's Beauty wars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fifVuhgvQQ8...

From the genetic lottery we're thrown into at birth, to the educational opportunities we navigate, the jobs we compete for, and the relationships we cultivate—every stage in life is marked by wins and losses, strategies and tactics, alliances, and competition. But not all games are zero-sum showdowns. To understand  non -zero-sum ness  it helps to consider "sum" different types of  g...

First episode, a bit about who, why and what. Read more at  https://nonzerosum.games | Links: Modelling  (a very old blog about my very short lived modelling “career”) https://prefrontallobotomy.blogspot.com/2009/06/im-model-you-know-what-i-mean.html Relative Value  (if you just can’t wait for the podcast episode, you can read more here) https://nonzerosum.games/absolutevsrelative.html | Subscribe...