VoluntaryMan
02-05-2008, 12:26 AM
As I understand it, Game Theory's Hostage Dilemma causes individuals to conform to a group mentality, by subjugating the human survival (fight/flight) impulse to the feared/expected behavior of the peer group. The epitome of this mindset would be a man seizing control of a passenger aircraft, using no more than a box-cutter and a threat to hold 70 people at bay, while he crashes the plane into a skyscraper, killing thousands. No one acts, out of fear of acting alone. The hostage dilemma is group cowardice. It is what is behind the "I will vote for x, because y can't win" meme. Don't let any of those cowardly sheep try to convince you otherwise.