Summa
Palerga et Paralipomena
Potentials of Evolutionary Game Theory
I hope that I have conviced you that the game theory has a potential, to say the least, of becoming the basic tool to transform "social sciences" into mathematical and quantitative disciplines. The important thing is to draw a clear distinction between just an asserttion and what is provable with rigor under definite condition. What did you say? You couldn't make that distinction from my frivorous chapters? Well, I can only say to you "Read original papers".
Meaning of "Humanity becoming the Science"
These days, we often encounter a leader of institutions who prides his instant decision based on his "inspiration". He tends to justify his style with statements like "human society is too complex to be understood logically". If you look closely, however, his "inspiration" is in fact made up of a line of logic with schematic simplicity, and certainly enough, he drags himelf and his subordinates into misery with high probability. If there is a lesson of the game theory, it is the recognition of one of the basic law of complex system, that of "unintended consequences". Namely, study of the game theory will prepare you to the understanding that when there is another autonomous entity than you, the result of the inteeraction can be more subtle than your strait logic, and also that there is indeed underlying mechanism that brings unintended consequences. There are, from time to time, true leaders in history who possess insticts for such game theoretic intricacies. But such talent is very rare, and chances are, your leaders are something other than that. Logical advise is : don't follow the simplifyers.
A misconstrued versions of "law of uninteded consequence" exist in the forms of "conspiracy theory" and "theory of the world designed by malevolent god". Such theories are surprisingly widespread among writers and artists, probably because of their highly developed imagination, and that is all good as long as those theories help them produce their qulity product. But excessive dose of conspiracy theory could be mentally corrupting. Worse is the case of those paranoiacs sizing political power and cause great harm. The study of game theory could work as a preventive medicine for such disaster. But probably, for individual mental health, an even better lesson of the game theory would be the not to take this world too seriously. After all, the life is just a game whose rules are not entirely known to us, and we should not to be consumed by its irrationality and better find satisfaction in something inherently belonging to us. You might call this an Epicurean interpretation of Game of Life, which, I believe, is extremely suited to this neo-Hellenistic century of ours
At any rate, mathmatical and physical treatments, if properly used, are very useful in helping us to reach definte conclusion even after twisted and long-winded arguments, which has been inaccessible to simple and schematic argument augmented by lot of rhetoric, which has been the conventional mode of discussion. We might dream a day in which "Words of Sages" get quantitative support in mathematical expressions.
But even before that, basic knowledge of game theory might provide you with on-the-spot judgement (Are you listening, Your Excellency?) such as
"Well, the situation is a variant of N-person majority Game. So we can let them evolve."
"They are in prisoner's dilemma situation. We have to force them to behave."
"Further intervention and micromanagement would be counterproductive"
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