Human Reproduction as Prisoner's Dilemma \ stacker news ~culture

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Human Reproduction as Prisoner's Dilemma www.aporiamagazine.com/p/human-reproduction-as-prisoners-dilemma

1134 sats \ 7 comments \ @k00b 6h culture

The title is provocative and the article keeps that promise. @zuspotirko this should provide additional cud for more birth rate and coupling posts.

tl;dr It's hyperbolic but imo directionally true: we've increased the cost/decreased the benefit of cooperating in marriage and decreased the cost/increased the benefit of defecting from marriage. The game theory is a bit crude too, but the claim is that traditional western societies set about customs making cooperation the dominant strategy for men and women where otherwise defection is a dominant strategy (for men at least).

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180 sats \ 2 replies \ @SimpleStacker 5h

Hmm, I had a hard time reading the blog post. Without trying to sound pedantic, I don't think the author really understands the game theory of the Prisoner's Dilemma. Either that, or he didn't do a good job explaining in what way marriage is like a Prisoner's Dilemma. Because Prisoner's Dilemma isn't as simple as a cooperate/defect dichotomy...

But, ignoring the technical game theory, his main point is that unilateral divorce coupled with the welfare state disfavors committed marriages. You'll get no argument from me there. But I'm not entirely convinced that this is the explanation. We said that culture is downstream from technology right? It seems equally plausible to me that the invention of the washing machine and the proliferation of online porn have made it easier than ever for men to live without partners. In any case, something is indeed changing marital and fertility norms, no argument from me there.

30 sats \ 1 reply \ @k00b OP 5h

I had a hard time reading the blog post.

It had a kind of cyborg quality to it, ie lots of circling around a bit of insight.

I don't think the author really understands the game theory of the Prisoner's Dilemma.

I think they were just trying to be provocative. The author could've spent thought better creating a credible approximation of the payoffs.

1472 sats \ 0 replies \ @SimpleStacker 5h

The key feature of Prisoner's Dilemma is that cooperation cannot be sustained at all without the threat of future punishment. I don't think most people think marriages are impossible to sustain without punishment.

Fwiw, marriage sounds more like a coordination game to me. Those are games where if others cooperate, you want to cooperate too, but if others defect, you want to defect too.

A healthy, balanced marriage is one in which cooperation is sustained in equilibrium by both parties, without needing any kind of future threat to sustain it.

An unhealthy couple that stays together could be one in which the relationship is only sustained through a greater future threat if either party defects.

There could also be unbalanced equilibria, in which both sides are incentivized to cooperate, but the utility is very tilted to one side of the relationship or another. In these cases, no-fault divorce laws and other such things could likely tilt the equilibrium from cooperation to defection.

198 sats \ 3 replies \ @Undisciplined 6h

I know there are economists who argue that the modern welfare state, which explicitly punishes marriage, has made defection a dominant strategy for women, as well.

24 sats \ 2 replies \ @k00b OP 6h

Oh yes, that's the article's take as well. I keep mixing up the getting married dilemma and the staying married dilemma - and the modern and traditional matrices.

162 sats \ 1 reply \ @Undisciplined 6h

I agree that it's at least directionally correct.

I also wonder if reducing specialization in marriages has hurt cooperation. When roles are clear and distinct, it's obvious why each spouse/parent is essential and must cooperate with the other. I'd have to think through this point more, but specialization and division of labor are responsible for an enormous amount of economic productivity.

28 sats \ 0 replies \ @k00b OP 6h

The visibility of payoffs and punishments isn't a dimension of game theory I've considered much. It has to make a huge difference.