Eli5: Why is Prisoners Dilemma considered a Dilemma?
In: 46
The “Di” in dilemma means two. Dilemma means a situation two choices. Usually a dilemma is a tough choice.
To win the game a player has to betray a friend or accept they’re going to jail.
A prisonner’s dilemma is a tough choice because if both players do cooperate both go to jail and neither go free, but if either defects someone will serve more time in jail than if they both cooperate. Being selfish is the best strategy only if a player defects on a cooperating player.
A prisoner’s dilemma involves two players with two choices each. There are four possible results from the choices of the two players, but each player only has two options to chose from. Di = two.
The first option is to cooperate. That means work together. If both players cooperate, they both receive the 2nd best outcome.
The second option is to defect. That means to cheat or betray. If one player defects while the other player cooperates, the defecting player receives the 1st best outcome. The cooperating player in a game with a defecting player receives the 4th best (the worst) outcome.
If both players defect, both receive the 3rd best outcome.
The choice is a dilemma because the best scenario for a player is to defect while the other player cooperates. But if both players cooperate, each player does better than if both players defect. Cooperation has the highest risk and only the 2nd best reward. That’s why it’s a dilemma, it’s a tough choice because defecting is always better than being the only player cooperating.
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