7 ms·

Already in the first line it claims that anarchy is a system wherein >a system degrades due to selfish behavior of its agents To my point of view, most game t

Already in the first line it claims that anarchy is a system wherein >a system degrades due to selfish behavior of its agents To my point of view, most game theory is just capitalistic ideology disguised in mathematical models.

TeMPOraL 10y ago
If anything, this sounds anti-capitalistic - capitalism is based on an assumption that selfish behaviour of individuals produces greater good for the society.
- automatwon 10y ago
  "It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest" - Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith I tend to think of self-interest being equivalent to selfishness. Your point makes me wonder if self-interest is not equivalent to selfishness, at least to Economists.
  - TeMPOraL 10y ago
    Well, what you quote is true, but I think a lot of discussion stems from focusing on the wrong question, namely "does selfishness lead to better outcomes" as opposed to when it does, and when it does not. Too many people seem to approach economy as an ideology rather than a complex system in which a given approach produces good results here and bad results there, and everything should be subject to optimization and careful design.
    - JumpCrisscross 10y ago
      > Too many people seem to approach economy as an ideology rather than a complex system Few of these people have any decision-making authority. This mass ignorance of economics does occasionally bubble up on the policy side. But it is generally, at least in the United States, contained by more knowledgeable (and influential) parties.
      - mcguire 10y ago
        ...like Alan Greenspan?
    - stale2002 10y ago
      Nobody thinks that selfish leads to "better" outcome. They believe that if everyone acts selfishly, the outcome is still pretty darn good (but of course could be improved if nobody committed crimes or something)
      - TeMPOraL 10y ago
        Again, saying that "the outcome is pretty darn good, therefore yay capitalism" is missing the crucial question - when do the good parts happen, when do the bad parts happen, and how to preserve the former while getting rid of the latter. Ideologies are mind poison.
jessaustin 10y ago
There is a bit of ideology here, in that there's no particular reason that this tiny little observation about network routing had to be called "The Price of Anarchy". Just the same, it's a mistake to think this topic itself has anything to do with politics or economics. A mistake made intentionally, perhaps, by those with particular political motives.
- mcguire 10y ago
  Network routing is an example. Just because Einstein's original thought experiment involved a train doesn't make special relativity railroad engineering.
  - jessaustin 10y ago
    Yes it also applies to disk controllers etc. Special relativity isn't about political economy either.

TeMPOraL 10y ago

If anything, this sounds anti-capitalistic - capitalism is based on an assumption that selfish behaviour of individuals produces greater good for the society.

automatwon 10y ago
"It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest" - Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith I tend to think of self-interest being equivalent to selfishness. Your point makes me wonder if self-interest is not equivalent to selfishness, at least to Economists.
- TeMPOraL 10y ago
  Well, what you quote is true, but I think a lot of discussion stems from focusing on the wrong question, namely "does selfishness lead to better outcomes" as opposed to when it does, and when it does not. Too many people seem to approach economy as an ideology rather than a complex system in which a given approach produces good results here and bad results there, and everything should be subject to optimization and careful design.
  - JumpCrisscross 10y ago
    > Too many people seem to approach economy as an ideology rather than a complex system Few of these people have any decision-making authority. This mass ignorance of economics does occasionally bubble up on the policy side. But it is generally, at least in the United States, contained by more knowledgeable (and influential) parties.
    - mcguire 10y ago
      ...like Alan Greenspan?
  - stale2002 10y ago
    Nobody thinks that selfish leads to "better" outcome. They believe that if everyone acts selfishly, the outcome is still pretty darn good (but of course could be improved if nobody committed crimes or something)
    - TeMPOraL 10y ago
      Again, saying that "the outcome is pretty darn good, therefore yay capitalism" is missing the crucial question - when do the good parts happen, when do the bad parts happen, and how to preserve the former while getting rid of the latter. Ideologies are mind poison.

jessaustin 10y ago

There is a bit of ideology here, in that there's no particular reason that this tiny little observation about network routing had to be called "The Price of Anarchy". Just the same, it's a mistake to think this topic itself has anything to do with politics or economics. A mistake made intentionally, perhaps, by those with particular political motives.

mcguire 10y ago
Network routing is an example. Just because Einstein's original thought experiment involved a train doesn't make special relativity railroad engineering.
- jessaustin 10y ago
  Yes it also applies to disk controllers etc. Special relativity isn't about political economy either.