Tit for Tat

Does mindset -- religious or otherwise -- influence behaviour? Yes, of course. When we say that "structures influence behavior" (see post on "We are like that only") we must also take into account 'internal' structures, ie. values, beliefs and attitudes, which I will collectively refer to as mindset.

So, which mindsets promote good behaviour? In this connection, I recalled a nice article by Douglas Hofstadter I had read many years back in the Scientific American (May 1983), about a simulation exercise done around the "Prisoner's Dilemna". By way of background, the Prisoner's Dilemna is a game theory problem that goes as follows:

Two suspects are arrested by the police. The police have insufficient evidence for a conviction, and, having separated both prisoners, visit each of them to offer the same deal. If one testifies (defects from the other) for the prosecution against the other and the other remains silent (cooperates with the other), the betrayer goes free and the silent accomplice receives the full 10-year sentence. If both remain silent, both prisoners are sentenced to only six months in jail for a minor charge. If each betrays the other, each receives a five-year sentence. Each prisoner must choose to betray the other or to remain silent. Each one is assured that the other would not know about the betrayal before the end of the investigation. How should the prisoners act? (Source: Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner's_dilemma)

This problem captures the essence of the dilemna that all of us face - should we be selfish or should we cooperate? A lot of research has gone into the implication of this problem on evolution, diplomacy, etc, some of which is described in the Wikipedia page. Getting back to Hofstadter's article, he described an exercise where many simulation programs competed with each other over multiple rounds to find which program or rules score the most points. The result - a very simple program called 'Tit for Tat' won hands down! The rules of Tit for Tat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tit_for_tat) were the following:

1. Be Nice: Don't be the first to cheat
2. Hit Back: If your opponent cheats, then don't ignore the bad behaviour. Cheat on the next move.
3. Be Forgiving: Don't hold grudges. Don't keep cheating, just because your opponent cheated on you once.
4. Don't be Envious: Don't try to score more than your opponent.

I still find it amazing that these simple rules were so effective.

Now, there are a lot of assumptions that were made while defining the Prisoner's Dilemna problem, which may not be true in real life. Yet, the winning rules are so similar to the rules that govern long-lasting societies and religions! A classic example is the law of reciprocity that defines Christainity - 'Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You'. These rules or their variants also make Indian culture and Hinduism strong.

So...be nice, protect yourself, be forgiving and avoid envy!