Skip to content
Carmelics
TopicsThinkersChangesContributorsLoading account…

    Carmelics

    A reasoning platform. Break down any belief into clear reasons, explore both sides, and weigh the evidence honestly.

    Navigate

    • Topics
    • Search
    • Recent Changes
    • Contribute
    • How It Works
    • Glossary
    • Thinkers
    • Contributors
    • About
    • Statistics
    • Terms
    • Privacy

    Database

    Statements
    —
    Perspectives
    —
    Topics
    —

    Press ? for keyboard shortcuts

    LoyalLoyalJusticeJustice
    Made withinDC&Austin
    Statements
    321,452
    Perspectives
    108,905
    Topics
    42
    Universal defection among rational self-interested agents... — Carmelics
    Home/Justice & Punishment
    HistoryEditSee Inverse

    Universal defection among rational self-interested agents produces a state analogous to Hobbes' war of all against all.

    Justice & PunishmentSocial Contract
    ?Rate how convincing each reason is below to see the overall strength.
    1 reason for
    2 reasons against

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
    ?
    • 1.A population imitating the most successful strategy converges on 'All Defect'.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 2.'All Defect' as a universal equilibrium mirrors Hobbes' description of the state of nature as a war of all against all.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    Reasons Against

    2 perspectives
    Reason against 1 of 2
    ?
    • 1.Hobbes' war of all against all is defined by mortal insecurity and absence of property, not merely suboptimal equilibrium outcomes.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 2.Universal defection in iterated PD games still presupposes stable rules, payoff structures, and identifiable agents—conditions Hobbes denies in the state of nature.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 3.Equating Nash equilibria with Hobbesian anarchy conflates game-theoretic mutual disadvantage with the pre-political absence of enforceable norms entirely.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    Reason against 2 of 2
    ?
    • 1.Gauthier and Binmore both argue that rational agents behind uncertainty about their strategic position would contract toward cooperation, not lock into defection.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 2.If rationality itself generates cooperative solutions under idealized bargaining conditions, universal defection reflects a failure of modeling assumptions, not rationality as such.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    Sign in or register to share your perspective on this statement.

    Next step

    Based on where you are in your exploration

    Strongest counterpoint
    Explore the most compelling reason on the other side.

    Topics

    Justice & PunishmentSocial Contract

    Connections

    1 topic

    Consequentialism1 linked

    Related

    'All Defect' as a universal equilibrium mirrors Hobbes' description of the state...A population imitating the most successful strategy converges on 'All Defect'.Equating Nash equilibria with Hobbesian anarchy conflates game-theoretic mutual ...Gauthier and Binmore both argue that rational agents behind uncertainty about th...
    +3 moreShow less
    Hobbes' war of all against all is defined by mortal insecurity and absence of pr...If rationality itself generates cooperative solutions under idealized bargaining...Universal defection in iterated PD games still presupposes stable rules, payoff ...

    Similar

    In a population where agents imitate the most successful strategy, the...74%If a player responds to defections with cooperation too readily, other...72%Portions of mankind not disposed to live under a common government are...70%Social conflict requires agents who feel or experience some form of ho...70%

    Source

    AI-extracted1/3 agreementValid
    SEP: computational-philosophy
    View source passageHide passage
    If these strategies are played against each other and themselves, in the manner of Axelrod’s tournaments, it is “all defect” that is the clear winner. If agents imitate the most successful strategy, a population will thus immediately go to All Defect—a game-theoretic image of Hobbes’ war of all against all, perhaps.
    Extraction notes

    Validity: Extracted via Max plan + API grounding/validity checks

    Details

    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    3 (1 for, 2 against)
    Edits
    1 edit