Utility Maximizer's guide to replicators, networks, game theory, and civilization
There are two realms of morality. There are two types of wrongdoings: crimes and sins. A crime is a civic wrongdoing. A sin is a religious wrongdoing. The difference is twofold. First, the selection: some wrongs are classed as the former, and others the ladder. Second, the arbitration: how the wrong is punished. Crimes are … Continue reading Crimes vs Sins
In high school, my school bus would drive by a short stone wall lined with graffiti. The graffiti was amateur enough that it was obviously done by the students of the high school (as opposed to most graffiti you see which looks like it was done by gangs). One day, the graffiti was painted over. … Continue reading Keep the graffiti
This article was written by a different author than usual. It is a contribution from the editor. Something that has been mentioned previously on this blog is how culture is influenced by natural selection. A society’s culture acts much in the same way as a species’ genome, as they are both products of and determining … Continue reading Choosing Who to Love: How the West Beat a Game Theory Trap While China Embraced It
I've always thought that the exclamation mark is the perfect symbol for factorials. This is true across many different vectors. It is a bit complicated to explain what I mean, because each of those vectors deserves a deep exploration. So you will have to bear with me. You will ask yourself, "what do those topics … Continue reading Melodrama and Factorials
This post was written by the same guest author as part 1. My previous post was the first of a two-part series, and I highly recommend that you read that one first before you read this one. In the first post, I laid out the rules and operations behind my model that illustrates how societies adopt … Continue reading When one side of history becomes the right side of history: an analysis
This was written by a a different author than usual; it is a contribution from the editor. It is the first of a two-part series. Part 2 Have you ever felt an inner sense of social momentum? In microcosm, this sense can be the feeling that a group project is moving inexplicably towards one direction … Continue reading When one side of history becomes the right side of history: a systemic model
Migration towards moderation: the most boring wins
Collective Action You are probably familiar with the prisoner’s dilemma. For those who don’t know, here’s a quick summation. The prisoner’s dilemma is the archetypical game theory situation. See the above example. If both players confess, both loose 6 points of utility. If neither confess, both loose one point of utility. But if one confesses, … Continue reading What is Social Capital?
Epiphany a Week 