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23. Ethics / B. Contract Ethics / 8. Contract Strategies

[subtle ways of getting what you want from people]

8 ideas
We should not even harm someone who harms us [Socrates]
     Full Idea: One should never return an injustice nor harm another human being no matter what one suffers at their hands.
     From: Socrates (reports of last days [c.399 BCE]), quoted by Plato - Crito 49c
     A reaction: Jesus of Nazareth was not the first person to make this suggestion.
Someone who keeps all his contracts when others are breaking them is making himself a prey to others [Hobbes]
     Full Idea: He that should be modest and tractable, and perform all the promises, in such time and place where no man else should do so, should but make himself a prey to others.
     From: Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan [1651], 1.15)
Punctuality and justice in dealings are excellent for raising a man in the world [Franklin]
     Full Idea: After industry and frugality, nothing contributes more to raising a young man in the world than punctuality and justice in all his dealings.
     From: Benjamin Franklin (Advice to a Young Tradesman [1748], p.87-), quoted by Max Weber - The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism 2
     A reaction: A perfect illustration of the self-interest that drives morality in the social contract view.
By far the easiest way of seeming upright is to be upright [Hare]
     Full Idea: By far the easiest way of seeming upright is to be upright.
     From: Richard M. Hare (Moral Thinking: Its Levels,Method and Point [1981], Ch.11)
     A reaction: Yes. This is the route which takes us from enlightened self-interest to a vision of true morality. Virtue is found to be its own reward, thought that is not how we became virtuous to begin with.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you - or else! [Poundstone]
     Full Idea: TIT FOR TAT threatens 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you - or else!'.
     From: William Poundstone (Prisoner's Dilemma [1992], 12 'TIT')
     A reaction: Essentially human happiness arises if we are all nice, but also stand up firmly for ourselves. 'Doormats' (nice all the time) get exploited. TIT FOR TAT is weak, because it doesn't exploit people who don't respond at all.
TIT FOR TAT says cooperate at first, then do what the other player does [Poundstone]
     Full Idea: The successful TIT FOR TAT strategy (for the iterated prisoner's dilemma) says cooperate on the first round, then do whatever the other player did in the previous round.
     From: William Poundstone (Prisoner's Dilemma [1992], 12 'TIT')
     A reaction: There are also the tougher TWO TITS FOR A TAT, and the more forgiving TIT FOR TWO TATS. The one-for-one seems to be the main winner, and is commonly seen in animal life (apparently). I recommend this to school teachers.
Good strategies avoid conflict, respond to hostility, forgive, and are clear [Axelrod]
     Full Idea: Successful game strategies avoid unnecessary conflict, are provoked by an uncalled for defection, forgive after a provocation, and behave clearly so the other player can adapt.
     From: Robert Axelrod (The Evolution of Co-Operation [1984], 1)
     A reaction: [compressed] Exactly what you would expect from a nice but successful school teacher. The strategies for success in these games is the same as the rules for educating a person into cooperative behaviour. TIT FOR TAT does all these.
When players don't meet again, defection is the best strategy [Axelrod]
     Full Idea: When players will never meet again, the strategy of defection is the only stable strategy.
     From: Robert Axelrod (The Evolution of Co-Operation [1984], 5)
     A reaction: This gives good grounds for any community's mistrust of transient strangers, such as tourists. And yet any sensible tourist will want communities to trust tourists, and will therefore behave in a reliable way.