TUDOMANYFILOZOFIA SZEMINARIUM, A m b r u s - L a k a t o s L.

ELTE TTK Tudomanytortenet es Tudomanyfilozofia Tanszek Budapest, Pazmany P. setany 1/A TUDOMANYFILOZOFIA SZEMINARIUM (http://hps.elte.hu/seminar) ________________________________________________ Majus 15. 12:30 6. em. 6.54 A m b r u s - L a k a t o s L o r a n d CEU, Department of Political Science and Economics GAME THEORY: ITS AMBITION TO SERVE AS THE FOUNDATION OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES AND OF MORAL PHILOSOPHY Game theory presents itself as the study of collective decision making. It has however come under frequent attacks on the ground that its demands for human rationality are overly stringent. It responded to these challenges vigorously by the imposition of the construct of evolutionary games. In this talk I suggest to consider, in turn, the structure of its so-called solution (or equilibrium) concepts. These concepts can be assessed independently from the norms of rationality the theory tends to entail. However, as I will argue, none of the equilibrium concepts leave room for truly interdependent choice and thus the theory should be seen as unable to address a large range of issues in the social sciences and in moral philosophy - an embarrassment given its wide-ranging ambitions. I will demonstrate this claim by the example of the Prisoner's Dilemma and will especially consider the extent to which this game can contribute to the discussion of central issues in moral philosophy. In the talk, I will present the relevant solution concepts in their full-fledged mathematical form so that we will be able attend without hindrance to their conceptual structure. Ha mindenki beszel magyarul, akkor az eloadas magyarul lesz! A szeminarium szervezoje: E. Szabo Laszlo -- Laszlo E. Szabo Department of Theoretical Physics Department of History and Philosophy of Science Eotvos University, Budapest H-1518 Budapest, Pf. 32. Phone: (36-1)2090-555/6671 Fax: (36-1)372-2509 Home: (36-1)200-7318 http://hps.elte.hu/~leszabo -- Laszlo E. Szabo Department of Theoretical Physics Department of History and Philosophy of Science Eotvos University, Budapest H-1518 Budapest, Pf. 32. Phone: (36-1)2090-555/6671 Fax: (36-1)372-2509 Home: (36-1)200-7318 http://hps.elte.hu/~leszabo