Opening the Door to the Sanguine

Abstract

Standard mathematical game theory, as expressed in matrices, game trees, equations, and other forms, is, in my view, both beautiful and highly valuable. Further, the standard game-theoretic stories of prisoners and so on are highly interesting, and illuminating. But it is a different version of game theory, a critical, philosophical, moral emotions version that does not assume the calculating egoism that is the common currency of the standard tales of prisoners, teenage daredevils, and the like, though not of mainstream game theory as a whole, that this book is devoted to advancing. It is important not to assimilate the philosophical approach to game theory advanced here to the standard mathematical approach, and to the standard stories.