Altruism

 Step To The Rear

Will everyone here kindly step to the rear

and let a winner lead the way.

Nice guys finishing last, assumes that a game will never repeated.

Nobody wants to be a loser, particularly the former star of Mark Burnett’s Apprentice, who is the current President.  However watching Mark Burnett's shows demonstrates that winners of one show fare poorly on future shows.  So how can a winner one day, be a loser the next day?  Does altruism ( "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known" ) have any value as winning strategy.  Did John McCain’s suffering as a POW for his country make him a loser?

The answer lies in Game Theory.  Altruism is a valid strategy if a game is infinitely repeated. So acting as if each game will never be repeated and the future has no value might be a valid strategy for winning one game.  However it does not describe the society in which I wish to live.  I expect that there will be a future, and that even if I "lose” today, that will help me or someone else win tomorrow.  Otherwise, why would I even play the game ?  And if I no longer  play the game with you, how can you ever be a winner?