Reference no: EM131341712
Assignment: The Prisoner's Dilemma; What is in My Best Interest?
We learned in earlier discussions that according to Aristotle and Bentham, one's happiness was the highest goal. Enter social contract. How does one ensure one's self-interest when one has to compromise with another to achieve the goal? David Gauthier proposes that it is possible, offering the Prisoner's Dilemma as an example.
According to the story of the Prisoner's Dilemma, two people have been brought in for questioning, conducted separately, about a crime they are suspected to have committed. The police have solid evidence of a lesser crime that they committed, but need confessions in order to convict them on more serious charges. Each prisoner is told that if she cooperates with the police by informing on the other prisoner, then she will be rewarded by receiving a relatively light sentence of one year in prison, whereas her cohort will go to prison for ten years. If they both remain silent, then there will be no such rewards, and they can each expect to receive moderate sentences of two years. And if they both cooperate with police by informing on each other, then the police will have enough to send each to prison for five years. The dilemma then is this: in order to serve her own interests as well as possible, each prisoner reasons that no matter what the other does she is better off cooperating with the police by confessing. Each reasons: "If she confesses, then I should confess, thereby being sentenced to five years instead of ten. And if she does not confess, then I should confess, thereby being sentenced to one year instead of two. So, no matter what she does, I should confess." The problem is that when each reasons this way, they each confess, and each goes to prison for five years. However, had they each remained silent, thereby cooperating with each other rather than with the police, they would have spent only two years in prison.
(Note: For additional information, you can read more about Gauthier by copying the URL into your internet browser. (https://www.iep.utm.edu/soc-cont/#SH2a). It will take you to the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. The link takes you to the beginning of a great article on social contract. The outline at the beginning shows that the discussion on Gauthier and the Prisoner's Dilemma is in the middle of the article, in the "More Recent Theories" section, following Rawls. Gauthier comments on the idea that the Prisoner's Dilemma shows that it is in an individual's best interest to cooperate, even when it means that they will give up some individual freedom.)
Assignment Requirements:
Write a 3-page (650-750 word) paper addressing the following questions:
1. Consider the concepts of utilitarianism, egoism, and social contract. What moral theory-utilitarianism, egoism, or social contract-is consistent with cooperating with the other prisoner and rejecting self-interest as the best option? What is the recommended course of action for each prisoner in regard to the other two theories?
2. From your experience, is cooperation always in your best interest? Share an example. Alternatively, to state it negatively, why do selfish, self-centered people seem to prosper if cooperation is always in their best interest?
Post the 3-page (650-750 words) paper to the Assignment. All written assignments and responses should follow citation rules for attributing sources. Please use Microsoft Word spelling/grammar checker before submitting your paper. Please remember that the plagiarism policy applies.
|
What should bill jenkins do with this memo
: Create a presentation, outlining the elements required to create a memo that informs staff in an accurate manner of an impending reduction in the workforce. Think about how you will be objective and informative in communicating this major manageme..
|
|
Finds number of occurrences of a number in a tree of numbers
: Write a program that displays the roots of those sub-trees of a tree, which have exactly k nodes, where k is an integer.
|
|
Merton black scholes model
: Merton Black Scholes model: Two weeks later the stock price rises to 94. What is the value of the option then?
|
|
What is pearson cost of common equity
: Pearson Motors has a target capital structure of 30% debt and 70% common equity, with no preferred stock. The yield to maturity on the company's outstanding bonds is 10%, and its tax rate is 40%. Pearson's CFO estimates that the company's WACC is 13...
|
|
Is cooperation always in your best interest
: PHI101 M2A2- From your experience, is cooperation always in your best interest? Share an example. Alternatively, to state it negatively, why do selfish, self-centered people seem to prosper if cooperation is always in their best interest?
|
|
Annual maintenance expenses are expected
: You own an old water skiing motorboat that is a real gas guzzler. It is 10 years old and can be sold now for $3,000 cash. Assume its market value (MV) in 2 years will be $500. The annual maintenance expenses are expected to be $400 into the foreseeab..
|
|
Program that checks whether binary tree is perfectly balance
: Write a program that finds in a binary tree of numbers the sum of the vertices of each level of the tree.
|
|
Describe the general behaviors associated with the disorder
: Include the following: Describe the general behaviors associated with the disorder. Explain how biological influences play a role. Are there biological reasons an individual may exhibit behaviors related to the disorder? Explain your answer
|
|
Determine the major impacts of risk that the team needs
: Suggest the issues that could have developed had the team not had a risk plan. Determine the major impacts of risk that the team needs to understand for the project to be successful.
|