2010-06-05
Original: 2010-06-05 on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Narration: "The Prisoner's Dilemma" is a concept from the field of game theory.
[Two prisoners in striped caps are shown, labeled 1 and 2.]
Narration: Imagine two perfectly rational prisoners who don't know what the other is doing.
Narration: Each can rat out the other or remain silent, resulting in 4 possible outcomes:
[A 2x2 payoff grid for Prisoner 1 (rows) vs Prisoner 2 (columns).]
Columns: Rat Out / Remain Silent
Row "Rat Out":
A: Both get 1 year.
B: Prisoner 1 goes free. Prisoner 2 gets 5 years.
Row "Remain Silent":
C: Prisoner 2 goes free. Prisoner 1 gets 5 years.
D: Both get six months.
Narration: If you squeal, you get either 1 or 0 years. If you keep mum, it's 5 or 0.5 years.
Narration: So, even though D is the best choice, the "perfectly rational" people pick A!
[Image of a prison building with a small flower in the yard.]
Narration: The dilemma can be applied to morality...
[A banner scroll reads:] Do unto others as you...
[A second 2x2 grid for Person 1 (rows) vs Person 2 (columns).]
Columns: Like / Would have them do unto you
Row "Like":
A: Bad for all.
B: Great for 1, horrible for 2.
Row "Would have them do unto you":
C: Great for 2, horrible for 1.
D: Good for all.
Narration: The great ethicists of history share essentially one goal: get strangers to always pick D.
Narration: ...some did better than others...
[Panel labeled BENTHAM: a balding man in a long coat stands on a tiled floor, gesturing.]
Bentham: The greatest felicity for all is here! Eh? Come on! Maximize your felicity in square D! Wooh!
[Panel labeled CHRIST: a robed, bearded figure pointing forcefully against a red background.]
Christ: A is made of fire!
Votey:
Header: Actually happened:
Timestamp box: 9:00 PM
[A person with curly hair looks pensive, with a thought bubble.]
Thought: Testicles joke... or math joke? Damn, this is hard.
[Two prisoners in striped caps are shown, labeled 1 and 2.]
Narration: Imagine two perfectly rational prisoners who don't know what the other is doing.
Narration: Each can rat out the other or remain silent, resulting in 4 possible outcomes:
[A 2x2 payoff grid for Prisoner 1 (rows) vs Prisoner 2 (columns).]
Columns: Rat Out / Remain Silent
Row "Rat Out":
A: Both get 1 year.
B: Prisoner 1 goes free. Prisoner 2 gets 5 years.
Row "Remain Silent":
C: Prisoner 2 goes free. Prisoner 1 gets 5 years.
D: Both get six months.
Narration: If you squeal, you get either 1 or 0 years. If you keep mum, it's 5 or 0.5 years.
Narration: So, even though D is the best choice, the "perfectly rational" people pick A!
[Image of a prison building with a small flower in the yard.]
Narration: The dilemma can be applied to morality...
[A banner scroll reads:] Do unto others as you...
[A second 2x2 grid for Person 1 (rows) vs Person 2 (columns).]
Columns: Like / Would have them do unto you
Row "Like":
A: Bad for all.
B: Great for 1, horrible for 2.
Row "Would have them do unto you":
C: Great for 2, horrible for 1.
D: Good for all.
Narration: The great ethicists of history share essentially one goal: get strangers to always pick D.
Narration: ...some did better than others...
[Panel labeled BENTHAM: a balding man in a long coat stands on a tiled floor, gesturing.]
Bentham: The greatest felicity for all is here! Eh? Come on! Maximize your felicity in square D! Wooh!
[Panel labeled CHRIST: a robed, bearded figure pointing forcefully against a red background.]
Christ: A is made of fire!
Votey:
Header: Actually happened:
Timestamp box: 9:00 PM
[A person with curly hair looks pensive, with a thought bubble.]
Thought: Testicles joke... or math joke? Damn, this is hard.
Alt text
A tall SMBC comic explaining the Prisoner's Dilemma and applying it to ethics. It opens by introducing the dilemma as a game-theory concept, showing two cartoon prisoners (labeled 1 and 2) who can each rat out the other or stay silent. A 2x2 payoff grid lists the four outcomes (cells A-D): both rat = 1 year each (A); one rats while the other stays silent = the rat goes free, the silent one gets 5 years (B and C); both stay silent = six months each (D). Narration notes that although D is the best mutual outcome, perfectly rational players pick A. The comic then applies the dilemma to morality with a 'Do unto others as you...' banner and a second grid contrasting 'like' versus 'would have them do unto you,' where mutual generosity (D) is 'good for all.' It says great ethicists all aim to get strangers to pick D, but some did better than others: a panel labeled BENTHAM shows the philosopher enthusiastically urging people to 'maximize your felicity in square D,' while a panel labeled CHRIST shows a dramatic robed figure pointing and shouting 'A is made of fire!' The votey aftercomic, titled 'Actually happened: 9:00 PM,' shows the cartoonist looking troubled, thinking 'Testicles joke... or math joke? Damn, this is hard.'
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.