Prisoner's Dilemma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Prisoner's Dilemma - Essay Example The states of nature with no organization structures within the civil society are defined by â€Å""solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short" (Binmore 56). Hobbes reaction of individuals in the society with no social institutions and with natural states is further backed by the â€Å"Prisoner’s Dilemma† which also defines the behavior of individuals in the society in its natural state. This theory is founded on the individualism powers in the society. According to the prisoner’s dilemma theory, everyone in the society is after achieving personal interest and thus more individualistic and self-fish. This makes the society less productive that it would have been had all the individual been willing to cooperate for the benefit of the society as a whole. A perfect example is that of ‘free rider’ in the society. Free rider problem is presented in case of public goods which are non-rival and non-excludability. Therefore, once provided, the cost of excludi ng others from consuming it would even be more expensive. This makes some people (free rider) to take advantage and consume the goods without paying to them, hence making the provision of such goods more costly (Binmore 59). According to Hobbes, the most preferred and rational states of nature in a civil society are cooperation and aversion of the natural societal state. Every society that breeds individualism ends up losing on its development course because of the self-seeking nature of the people in such society. According to Hobbes, individuals utilize their rational and natural impulse to engage in social contracts as a way of avoiding the fear brought about by the state of nature. This involves giving up on the right to self-governance. Self-right is traded for sovereign at the expense of the society. Sovereignty comes with authority and power that members of the society are expected to obey whether the