A Not-So Beautiful Mind
Are you familiar with Game Theory? In rare cases that you are not, click here. Anyway, people have won Nobel Prize for this, people like John Nash. His name might ring a bell from the Academy Award-winning film, A Beautiful Mind.
Say, let’s imagine you’re hanging out at the local bar. Be it in a hip, upscale club or a shady, two-bit joint, the setup is always the same. The women are concentrated towards the center of any location while the men hover eagerly around the periphery, like vultures.
As you may already be aware by now, women don’t go out to the bars alone (or toilets, for that matter). There are always going to be at least 2 or 3 friends along with them. As they settle comfortably around the center, the men will encircle them and slowly come in for the kill. The nature will stipulate that they will prey on the most attractive women in the bar. Like clockwork, there will always be a woman that is clearly more attractive than all of her friends. Each man will make his approach at the attractive female, and one by one, they will all be rejected.
This should come as no surprise, as the most attractive woman is used to any kind of advance you might think of. By chasing the most attractive female, that male has automatically lost out on winning over her friends.
It’s not rocket science. (Though, to understand women, you’ll need much, much, more than rocket science).
Now, Nash states that rational self-interest hurts everyone, and instead, everyone wins through cooperative games. So if you’re out with a couple friends at a bar and you see that one attractive woman hanging around, remember that she has probably been hit on the entire night and already eluded some of the best. Sure we want the most attractive catch, but remember that there is only one of them and many of you. If everyone goes after the one girl, nobody will win because each will attempt to undermine the other. On the contrary, if you decide to go for her friends instead, everyone can come out a winner in the end.
Is that right?
That brings up the questions of the day (and don't worry, they're not about women):
1. How do you define a winner?
2. Will you settle for the number two, (or 3, 4, 5, .. for that matter) when you are just yearning and craving for the number one?
The two questions boil down to your own opinions and perceptions about what are usually taken for granted. Are you winning, when your prize is not the one that you aspire for? Are you feeling victorious, when the spoil you have secured is not the one that was on your dream?
I'll go for the dream every time. Chances are, I will fail more often than I thrive. Failures are failures. Despite what the quotes tell you, they are not deferred triumphs. But then again, how do you define a winner?
I'll share with you when I find the answers.
Disclaimer 1: The movie has been criticized for its inaccurate portrayal of Nash's life and schizophrenia as well as for the over-simplified representation of the famous Nash equilibrium. This was not the point put forth.
Disclaimer 2: Illustration using women in a bar was not meant to stereotype women. No woman was seriously hurt in the writing of this post.
Say, let’s imagine you’re hanging out at the local bar. Be it in a hip, upscale club or a shady, two-bit joint, the setup is always the same. The women are concentrated towards the center of any location while the men hover eagerly around the periphery, like vultures.
As you may already be aware by now, women don’t go out to the bars alone (or toilets, for that matter). There are always going to be at least 2 or 3 friends along with them. As they settle comfortably around the center, the men will encircle them and slowly come in for the kill. The nature will stipulate that they will prey on the most attractive women in the bar. Like clockwork, there will always be a woman that is clearly more attractive than all of her friends. Each man will make his approach at the attractive female, and one by one, they will all be rejected.
This should come as no surprise, as the most attractive woman is used to any kind of advance you might think of. By chasing the most attractive female, that male has automatically lost out on winning over her friends.
It’s not rocket science. (Though, to understand women, you’ll need much, much, more than rocket science).
Now, Nash states that rational self-interest hurts everyone, and instead, everyone wins through cooperative games. So if you’re out with a couple friends at a bar and you see that one attractive woman hanging around, remember that she has probably been hit on the entire night and already eluded some of the best. Sure we want the most attractive catch, but remember that there is only one of them and many of you. If everyone goes after the one girl, nobody will win because each will attempt to undermine the other. On the contrary, if you decide to go for her friends instead, everyone can come out a winner in the end.
Is that right?
That brings up the questions of the day (and don't worry, they're not about women):
1. How do you define a winner?
2. Will you settle for the number two, (or 3, 4, 5, .. for that matter) when you are just yearning and craving for the number one?
The two questions boil down to your own opinions and perceptions about what are usually taken for granted. Are you winning, when your prize is not the one that you aspire for? Are you feeling victorious, when the spoil you have secured is not the one that was on your dream?
I'll go for the dream every time. Chances are, I will fail more often than I thrive. Failures are failures. Despite what the quotes tell you, they are not deferred triumphs. But then again, how do you define a winner?
I'll share with you when I find the answers.
Disclaimer 1: The movie has been criticized for its inaccurate portrayal of Nash's life and schizophrenia as well as for the over-simplified representation of the famous Nash equilibrium. This was not the point put forth.
Disclaimer 2: Illustration using women in a bar was not meant to stereotype women. No woman was seriously hurt in the writing of this post.
3 comments:
As an attempt of not writing a nice comment back, just because you said nice things about my blog (having said that, I am a narcissist, therefore I like praises), but you wrote a funny post, almost in a satirical way.
I agree. You should go for the dream.
A winner never settle less for anything than the best.
That would also probably the reason why I'm so broke.
(If you don't understand a word what I'm saying here, it's okay)
Hey, it’s absolutely okay to be a dreaming narcissist. A perfect combination. And on the part of being broke, you from all people should know that it’s a dog-eat-dog world out there (no pun intended). But every dog shall have his bone. ;)
Rêver, c’est le bonheur, attendre, c’est la vie.
C'est vrai! :)
Long live dreamers!
Post a Comment