Anatol Rapoport (1911–2007)

Sometimes misdirection is the best way to get to the point.

This is a book about what is called "game theory," but the title tells you what it's really about: Choosing the best strategy when confronted with a particular situation. And trying to do the right thing while you're about it.

Game theory books have a problem: How much pure mathematics to throw at you. The more math they use, the more problems you can solve -- but the fewer people who can keep up. So the book vary greatly in how much computation to require. This book is toward the lower end of the list, but it isn't purely descriptive. You'll have to be prepared to do a little work. It's worth it, though, because -- unlike some game theory texts -- it really does look at the moral dimensions of things. What does it mean to "defect" in a game like Prisoner's Dilemma? Is it just cutting ahead in line -- or is it launching a nuclear strike? And does this affect what you do?

These questions weren't answered when Rapoport wrote, and still aren't answered today. This book is far from a last word; a lot of good progress has been made since his time. But much of what he wrote is still worth thinking about. It's an old book, but still a good book.… (more)