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‘Puzzles and paradoxes’ discredits many of the fallacies which have developed in game theory. One of the most popular devices is the Prisoner's Dilemma. Many fallacies exist in people's understanding of this game, such as the categorical imperative, the fallacy of the twins, the wasted vote myth, and the transparent disposition fallacy. Other paradoxes in wider game theory exist, such as Newcomb's paradox, which makes it optimal to play strongly dominated strategies, and the surprise test paradox, which arises from people failing to ask the correct questions of a situation. People often think conventions need to be dispensed by another party, when they are actually established by cultural evolution. ...Less

‘Convention’ explores the role of conventions in games and society. Conventions may be entirely arbitrary, but are extremely important in society. Humans will invent conventions in situations where no obvious ones exist. Convention is essential in fields such as traffic management, but philosophers such as Hume have courted controversy by suggesting that conventions exist in ethical reasoning as well. Game theory is by nature devoid of ‘values’, and can only point out faulty reasoning. Social dilemmas occur when trying to match individual goals with the common good. Game theory provides a framework for discussion. Selfish actions are always possible in social situations, and trust can be difficult to rely on. ...Less