Prisoner's Dilemma

The Game:

Get as much reward as possible.

The Rules:

Two players, each has two cards:
1. COOPERATE 2. DEFECT

Each player has to put one card downwards in the table so the opponent cannot see. They turn the card up simultaneously.

The possible outcomes:

The two players have COOPERATE card: Each gets $300.

The two players have DEFECT card: they are fined $10.

Player A has DEFECT and Player B has COOPERATE. Player A takes $500 for the Temptation and Player B has a $100 fine for being a Sucker.

Player A has COOPERATE and Player B has DEFECT. Player A has a fine of $100 for being a Sucker and Player B takes $500 for the Temptation.

KEY TERMS:
Sucker: someone who helps others unconditionally and are exploited.
(pg. 202-204)

I LOVE THIS GAME! I played it with my family to see what happens and as Dawkins said that, “Whole shelves in libraries are devoted to the ramifications of this beguiling game,” (pg. 203) he is indeed right. There is the part of everyone that want to win and get the bets regard and is tempted to draw the DEFECT card and wait for the other player to be nice and draw the COOPERATE card.

I thought of Macbeth, and I found the connection of greed and temptation and not counting if the opponent will fight back or not. Macbeth’s DEFECT card is Lady Macbeth, she is the one that drives him into taking that card, but his opponent’s reactions, Malcolm and Macduff, is something that Macbeth cannot anticipate. He is not allowed to see their card, not in Prisoner’s Dilemma. I think even the title is the perfect description of Macbeth’s situation, he is in a dilemma. He is a prisoner of his wife and of the prediction that the three witches. He gives in to greed and takes the DEFECT card out, and his opponents as well, and they are fined with the cost of their lives.