Theory of Games as a Tool for the Moral Philosopher

by Richard Bevan Braithwaite

It is a common complaint against moral philosophers that their abstract theorising bears little relation to the practical problems of everyday life. Professor Braithwaite believes that this criticism need not be inevitable. With the help of the Theory of Games he shows how arbitration is possible between two neighbours, a jazz trumpeter and a classical pianist, whose performances are a source of mutual discord. The solution of the problem in the lecture is geometrical, and is based on the formal analogy between the logic of the situation and the geometry of a parabola. But an appendix provides the alternative algebraic treatment of a general two-person collaboration situation.

Genres: Philosophy

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1955

Reviews

[Tajei · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting piece of intellectual history — Braithwaite writes in 1954 just after von Neumann, Morgenstern and Nash establish the core elements of game theory. Braithwaite's argument is that game theory allows for a comparison of utility between people, given that the treatment of utility like money in direct comparisons is rightly criticised. But he doesn't (which I was hoping he would) explain how game theory has implications for actual normative ethics (this is what Bykvist cites him for). The general insight I think is that n people acting in X way is not equivalent to a society of size n, where "do X" is observed as a rule.