prisoner's dilemma

trolley problem

is a thought experiment that shows that we don't always make the 'right' decisions when confronted with insufficient information at the same time as other self-interested decision-making agents are thrown into the mix.

Here's the Prisoner's Dilemma in a nutshell, via the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:Tanya and Cinque have been arrested for robbing the Hibernia Savings Bank and placed in separate isolation cells. Both care much more about their personal freedom than about the welfare of their accomplice. A clever prosecutor makes the following offer to each. 'You may choose to confess or remain silent. If you confess and your accomplice remains silent I will drop all charges against you and use your testimony to ensure that your accomplice does serious time. Likewise, if your accomplice confesses while you remain silent, they will go free while you do the time. If you both confess I get two convictions, but I'll see to it that you both get early parole. If you both remain silent, I'll have to settle for token sentences on firearms possession charges. If you wish to confess, you must leave a note with the jailer before my return tomorrow morning.'This thought experiment is troubling because it teaches us that we don't always make the 'right' decisions when confronted with insufficient information and when other self-interested decision-making agents are thrown into the mix. The 'dilemma' is that each suspect is better off confessing than staying silent but the most ideal outcome would have been mutual silence.

prisoner's dilemma, n.Definitions

prisoner's dilemma