I recently gave a talk at Life Itself Research on the Moloch and Evolutionary Game Theory.
The concept of Moloch is used by Scott Alexander, Daniel Schmachtenberger and others to refer to the game-theoretic dynamics and economic incentives underlying today’s global crises.
But it’s not always clear which dynamics or incentives the concept refers to. I explore how Evolutionary Game Theory can help clarify things, and in particular how Scott Alexander’s “multipolar traps” are best understood as Evolutionary Prisoner’s Dilemmas.
I also suggest ways in which we need to think beyond this particular evolutionary model in order to frame positive responses to global crises, considering both later work by Scott Alexander and more recent models in Evolutionary Game Theory.
Criticisms of Moloch concept are explored further in the subsequent lively discussion.
