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Game Theory Analysis Shows How Evolution Favors Cooperation's Collapse

First time accepted submitter Ugmug (1495847) writes Last year, University of Pennsylvania researchers Alexander J. Stewart and Joshua B. Plotkin published a mathematical explanation for why cooperation and generosity have evolved in nature. Using the classical game theory match-up known as the Prisoner's Dilemma, they found that generous strategies were the only ones that could persist and succeed in a multi-player, iterated version of the game over the long term. But now they've come out with a somewhat less rosy view of evolution. With a new analysis of the Prisoner's Dilemma played in a large, evolving population, they found that adding more flexibility to the game can allow selfish strategies to be more successful. The work paints a dimmer but likely more realistic view of how cooperation and selfishness balance one another in nature."

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  1. Re:Taxpayer's Dilemma by x0ra · · Score: 1, Troll

    1) $25k, 2) I don't commute daily ;-)

    Electricity ? I pay for electricity. While the company is publicly-owner, it is not providing me with a "free" service. Internet ? It'ss not a public service either. My ISP is actually a private company. Navigable waterways ? Seriously ? Did the government create rivers from nothing ? Safe food ? I'm not sure they're that safe when you see the amount of fat people you have south of the border. Police protection ? Where ? The police doesn't protect me, they merely sort out the mess after it happened (and forbid me to french-kiss my girlfriend on a bench because they judged it to be "indecent"). Fire protection ? Once again, firemen mostly clean-up the mess. Schools ? I don't have kids, so I shouldn't pay for schools. Libraries ? I don't go to libraries... which are handled at a local level anyway. As I'm not owner of my residence I don't pay property taxes. And finally, "parks" and "national forests"... really ? Did the government creates parks and tree from nothing ? My main recreation facility is actually a private property open to the public, and I'll never go to your "national forests" and "national parks" where you got to get (and pay for) a permit to take pictures...

    Btw, your comment is interesting, it really sounds like you consider Government to be responsible for the creation of every wonder, kind of in a religious way. Whereas Government is merely a parasite.