Anatol Rapoport (1911–2007)

Due volumi per raccogliere i saggi scritti per il Simposio "Il ruolo di Marx nello sviluppo del pensiero scientifico contemporaneo" con gli auspici dell'UNESCO a Parigi l'8-10 maggio 1968 a cura del Consiglio internazionale per la filosofia e le scienze umane e dal Consiglio internazionale di scienze sociali per il 150° anniversario della nascita di Karl Marx. Il primo è su filosofia e metodologa e il secondo su sociologia ed economia. Il primo volume conserva la sua freschezza e si possono leggere tutte le faglie che attraversano il marxismo negli anni che portano al '68, in specie per il rapporto con lo strutturalismo.… (mehr)

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.… (mehr)