Prisoner's Dilemma: John von Neumann, Game Theory, and the Puzzle of the Bomb
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.66 (725 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 038541580X |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 294 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-01-07 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
. Photos. From Publishers Weekly Poundstone's three-dimensional outline of game theory mathematics sketches the life of its inventor, John von Neumann, and his role in Cold War policy-making. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc
Intellectuals such as von Neumann and Bertrand Russell joined military and political leaders in rallying to the "preventive war" movement, which advocated a nuclear first strike against the Soviet Union. Called the "prisoner's dilemma, " it is a disturbing and mind-bending game where two or more people may betray the common good for individual gain. A masterful work of science writing, Prisoner's Dilemma weaves together a biography of the brilliant and tragic von Neumann, a history of pivotal phases of the cold war, and an investigation of game theory's far-reaching influence on public policy t. Watching players bluff in a poker game inspired John von Neumann--father of the modern computer and one of the sharpest minds of the century--to construct game theory, a mathematical study of conflict and deception. Though the answers may seem simple, their profound implications make the prisoner's dilemma one of the great unifying concepts of science, an idea that has influenced leaders across the political spectrum and informed our views of conflicts ranging from the Cuban missile crisis to the Persian Gulf War. Game theory was readily embraced at the RAND Corporation, the archetypical think tank charged with formulating military strategy for the atomic age, and in 1950 two RAND scientists made a moment
"Three Stars" according to Miguel V.. The information is good, but a lot of times the author tends to be verbose.. A great introduction to "game theory" Daniel Bethancourt This book serves as a great little introduction to "game theory" and it's applications to ethics, strategy, computer programming, and social behavior. Very short, but well written and engaging, without a lot of jargon. Discusses at length the biographies and contributions of Nash, Von Neumann, and Edward Teller in the development . owookiee said Very good for the common reader. This book was a very good discussion of game theory and Prisoner's Dilemma type games. It was interesting to see how so many real-life situations and conflicts can be reduced down to variations on some pretty basic games. I only wish the book didn't keep returning to the atomic bomb and the arms race so frequently. The point was m