Non • Zero • Sum James

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.

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Read more about the Toastmasters Payoff: https://nonzerosum.games/confidence.html

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We mention other classic scenarios, which you can check out here:

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The Prisoner's Dilemma: https://nonzerosum.games/prisonersdilemma.html

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The Stag Hunt: https://nonzerosum.games/staghunt.html

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Social Dilemmas: https://nonzerosum.games/socialdilemmas.html

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The Ultimatum Game: https://nonzerosum.games/ultimatumgame.html

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Arusha Perpetual Chicken: https://nonzerosum.games/chicken.html

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Movie Night ~ Battle of the Sexes: https://nonzerosum.games/battleofthesexes.html

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.

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This episode is based on our game theory glossary: https://nonzerosum.games/gametheory.html

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To read game theory related posts, visit: https://nonzerosum.games/map-gametheory.html

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.

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Liv Won The European Poker Tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64GWjR4vKGs&t=21s

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Her brutal 'Golden Balls' performance is here: https://https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6GhbT-zEfc

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If you're not familiar with The Prisoner's Dilemma check out our post here: https://nonzerosum.games/prisonersdilemma.html

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Visit Liv's charity 'Raising for Effective Giving' here: https://reg-charity.org/

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Check out here 'Win-Win' Podcast here: https://www.winwinpodcast.com/

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For more on Moloch check out our series: https://nonzerosum.games/map-moloch.html

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.

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To read the original post visit: https://nonzerosum.games/unlockingsolutions.html

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This episode mentions Humanity's Alignment Problem, which isn't in podcast form yet, but is part of the series over at the blog: The Alignment Problem No One is Talking About: https://nonzerosum.games/alignment1.html

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And here is the link to the Holzer and Neumark research: https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/jel.38.3.483

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!

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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.

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Yuval Noah Harari on Gossip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-XGwOxtH9E

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Donate to Unicef here: https://www.unicef.org/protection/child-labour

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Join the discussion over on the blog: https://nonzerosum.games/manifestationsofmoloch.html

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.

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Links:

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Read the illustrated post here: https://nonzerosum.games/whoismoloch.html

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Liv Boeree's Beauty wars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fifVuhgvQQ8

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and The Media Wars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRz54V7rU4U

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Allen Ginsberg's 'Howl': https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/49303/howl

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Scott Alexander's 'Meditations on Moloch': https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/07/30/meditations-on-moloch/

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-sumness it helps to consider "sum" different types of games.

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Learn more at the Game Theory Page (https://nonzerosum.games/gametheory.html)

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 |

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