Origins of Decision Theory
Decision theory origins: Bernoulli introduced expected utility in 1738. Von Neumann and Morgenstern developed game theory and axioms of...
June 2025
From Game Theory to Negotiation Practice
Apply game theory: identify game type as zero-sum or positive-sum cooperation, map payoffs for each party, and find Nash equilibrium outcomes.
March 2025
What Is Collective Action: Free Riders, Commons, and the Logic of Cooperation
What is the collective action problem? Explore the tragedy of the commons, Elinor Ostrom's Nobel-winning research, game theory, and why some groups...
August 2024
Why Humans Cooperate: The Evolutionary and Game-Theory Foundations
Why do humans cooperate at unprecedented scales? The science of kin selection, reciprocal altruism, Axelrod's tournaments, altruistic punishment,...
December 2023
What Is Game Theory? Strategy, Equilibrium, and Why People
Game theory is the mathematical study of strategic interaction. From the Prisoner's Dilemma to nuclear deterrence, this explainer covers Nash equilibria, cooperation, auctions, signaling, and why the theory changed economics, biology, and political science.
January 2023
What Is the Collective Action Problem: Tragedy of the Commons and Free Riders
The collective action problem explains why rational individuals produce bad group outcomes. Explore Hardin's commons, Ostrom's Nobel rebuttal,...
December 2022
What Is the Zero-Sum Fallacy: When Competition Is Not the Whole Story
Zero-sum thinking assumes one person's gain requires another's loss. Learn when it's accurate, when it's a fallacy, and how fixed-pie bias poisons...
What Is Game Theory? Strategy, Equilibrium, and Why People Cooperate
Game theory is the mathematical study of strategic interaction. From the Prisoner's Dilemma to nuclear deterrence, this explainer covers Nash...
October 2022
What Is Game Theory: How Strategic Thinking Works
Game theory explains strategic decision-making when outcomes depend on others' choices. Learn Nash equilibrium, prisoner's dilemma, and real-world...
May 2022
What Is Microeconomics?
A complete guide to microeconomics: consumer and producer theory, market structures, externalities, information asymmetry, public goods, and key...