In this chapter, Dawkins introduces the The Prisoner’s Dilemma Game. This is a game based on on one turn, you can choose to either cooperate or to defect, and the option your opponent choses, plus what you chose defines the results. This game can be used as a tool to reveal how even if the genes inside survival machines have the instinct to be selfish, they are also endowed with a nice behavior, a cooperative side inside them. To prove his point Dawkins provides the reader with different strategies into whether being nice is better or being selfish is better, and so, what do you think is better? Selfishness or kindness?
Through the course of the book, Dawkins has constantly reminded us on how our genes are selfish, and they only seek for their internal good in order to survive, unconsciously off course. We've seen how replicators rely on other survival machines and take advantage on the opportunity of being in herds, only to benefit themselves from that. However, in this chapter, the completely opposite thing is shown. In this game, which can apply to many different situations in life, like sharing food or doing people favors that are repaid later, being nice ends up being the better option. So choose to be good or bad? The latter is the wrong choice, to choose being greedy in this game won't suffice your desires. And so being the nice is better for you, giving everything an unexpected twist. And thus, proving the fact that underneath all those layers of selfishness, there is something good after all. Leaving the question to ponder on, are we, survival machines, then so robotically selfish after all? Are we so terribly selfish after all?
Through the course of the book, Dawkins has constantly reminded us on how our genes are selfish, and they only seek for their internal good in order to survive, unconsciously off course. We've seen how replicators rely on other survival machines and take advantage on the opportunity of being in herds, only to benefit themselves from that. However, in this chapter, the completely opposite thing is shown. In this game, which can apply to many different situations in life, like sharing food or doing people favors that are repaid later, being nice ends up being the better option. So choose to be good or bad? The latter is the wrong choice, to choose being greedy in this game won't suffice your desires. And so being the nice is better for you, giving everything an unexpected twist. And thus, proving the fact that underneath all those layers of selfishness, there is something good after all. Leaving the question to ponder on, are we, survival machines, then so robotically selfish after all? Are we so terribly selfish after all?
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