In coordination, neither player can outsmart the other without outsmarting himself
Evidence
In this game there is a compelling problem of coordination; each player can win only if he does exactly what the other expects him to, knowing that the other is similarly trying to do exactly what is expected of him. They must jointly find a line that in some fashion suggests itself to both of them or appeals to both of them. Neither can “outsmart” the other without outsmarting himself. — Thomas C. Schelling, The Strategy of Conflict, 235
Categorization
- APHORISMS: ‘Neither can outsmart the other without outsmarting himself’ reads as a genuinely transferable piece of wisdom about mutually dependent decisions.
- XREF: connects to: Players win only by drawing a division line both can anticipate identically — Thomas C. Schelling, The Strategy of Conflict, 234; Teamwork can defeat even the cleverest lone trickster — , A Year of World Stories, 12836; Coordination play seeks a meeting of minds while minimax play avoids any — Thomas C. Schelling, The Strategy of Conflict, 229
Related
- Players win only by drawing a division line both can anticipate identically (similarity 0.83)
- Among plausible coordination rules, choosing the greater payoff is the more natural (similarity 0.80)
- Rational players must factor non-mathematical focal details into strategy (similarity 0.79)
- Rational players can correlate strategies without communicating, even with conflicting preferences (similarity 0.79)
- Coordination play seeks a meeting of minds while minimax play avoids any (similarity 0.78)
- Teamwork can defeat even the cleverest lone trickster (similarity 0.78)
Broader Connections
- Players win only by drawing a division line both can anticipate identically
#expands(0.90) — Thomas C. Schelling, The Strategy of Conflict, 234 - Coordination play seeks a meeting of minds while minimax play avoids any
#expands(0.85) — Thomas C. Schelling, The Strategy of Conflict, 229 - Teamwork can defeat even the cleverest lone trickster
#exemplifies(0.75) — , A Year of World Stories, 12836