What is psychological egoism

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Problem: Egoism vs Altruism Essay

The Prisoner's Dilemma

The Joker and The Riddler, have been arrested by Batman for robbing a bank and are being interrogated in separate rooms. The authorities have no other witnesses and can only prove the case against them if they can convince at least one of the Joker and the Riddler to betray his accomplice and testify to the crime.

Each of them is faced with the choice to cooperate with his accomplice and remain silent or to defect and testify for the prosecution. If they both cooperate and remain silent, then the authorities will only be able to convict them on a lesser charge resulting in one year in jail for each (1 year for the Joker + 1 year for the Riddler = 2 years total jail time).

If one testifies and the other does not, then the one who testifies will go free and the other will get five years (0 years for the one who defects + 5 for the one convicted = 5 years total).

However, if both testify against the other, each will get two years in jail for being partly responsible for the robbery (2 years for the Joker + 2 years for the Riddler = 4 years total jail time).

In this case, each of them always has an incentive to defect, regardless of the choice the other makes. From the Joker's point of view, if the Riddler remains silent, then the Joker can either cooperate with the Riddler and do a year in jail, or defect and go free. Obviously, he would be better off betraying the Riddler. On the other hand, if the Riddler defects and testifies against the Joker, then the Joker's choice becomes either to remain silent and do five years or to talk and do two years in jail. Again, obviously, he would prefer to do the two years over five.

In both cases, whether the Riddler cooperates with the Joker or defects in the prosecution, the Joker will be better off if he himself defects and testifies. Now, since the Joker faces the exact same set of choices, he also will always be better off defecting as well.

To see how difficult, it is to maintain cooperation, before the police captured the Joker and the Riddler, both criminals, and made a pact not to confess. Clearly, this agreement would make them both better off if they both live up to it because they would each spend only one year in jail.

Referencing what is psychological egoism and what is ethical egoism versus altruism would the Joker and the Riddler in fact remain silent, simply because they agreed to it?

Reference no: EM133497073

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