ABSTRACT
The hard part in convincing people that social engineering is not bunk is convincing them that the attributes are not arbitrary and the quantifiers accurate. Accepted universally in jurisprudence and legislature, deterrence theory says that, all things being equal, penalties always reduce harmful behaviour. The merits and demerits of individualism have been tilted over since the birth of the nation. In many ways the most clear-headed, because the least sentimental, account of this tension can be found in Hobbes. The best way to understand game theory is by contrast with decision theory. And the iconic example of its strategic give-and-take is a class of games known as Prisoner’s Dilemma. Perversely, social trust benefits parasites that profit from everyone else’s cooperation. The best strategy for even the greatest egoist is to trumpet the utopian ethos while shirking it. Utopia is about the willing obligation, the moral imperative, and the all-embracing family.
