It’s pretty easy to find real-life examples where actual humans are actually stuck in an equilibrium that is strictly worse than some other equilibrium they theoretically could have, because switching would require coordination between a bunch of people at once (not just 2 or 3).
It is, in theory, but I feel like this underrates the real reason for most such situations: actual asymmetries in values, information, or both. A few things that may hold an otherwise pointless taboo or rule in place:
it serving as a shibboleth that identifies the in-group. This is a tangible benefit in certain situations. It’s true that another could be chosen and it could be something that is also more inherently worthy rather than just conventionally picked, but that requires time and adjusting and may create confusion
it being tied to some religious or ideological worldview such that at least some people genuinely believe it’s beneficial, and not just a convention. That makes them a lot more resistant to dropping it even if there was an attempt at coordination
it having become something that is genuinely unpleasant to drop even at an individual level simply because force of habit has led some individuals to internalize it.
In general I think the game theoretical model honestly doesn’t represent anything like a real world situation well because it creates a situation that’s so abstract and extreme, it’s impossible to imagine any of these dynamics at work. Even the worst, most dystopian totalitarianism in which everyone spies on everyone else and everyone’s life is miserable will at least have been started by a group of true believers who think this is genuinely a good thing.
I contend examples are easy to find even after you account for all of those things you listed. If you’d like a more in-depth exploration of this topic, you might be interested in the book Inadequate Equilibria.
I’ve read Inadequate Equilibria, but that’s exactly the thing, this specific example doesn’t really convey that sort of situation. At the very least, some social interaction as well as the path to the pathological equilibrium are crucial to it. By stripping down all of that, the 99 C example makes no sense. They’re an integral part of why such things happen.
It is, in theory, but I feel like this underrates the real reason for most such situations: actual asymmetries in values, information, or both. A few things that may hold an otherwise pointless taboo or rule in place:
it serving as a shibboleth that identifies the in-group. This is a tangible benefit in certain situations. It’s true that another could be chosen and it could be something that is also more inherently worthy rather than just conventionally picked, but that requires time and adjusting and may create confusion
it being tied to some religious or ideological worldview such that at least some people genuinely believe it’s beneficial, and not just a convention. That makes them a lot more resistant to dropping it even if there was an attempt at coordination
it having become something that is genuinely unpleasant to drop even at an individual level simply because force of habit has led some individuals to internalize it.
In general I think the game theoretical model honestly doesn’t represent anything like a real world situation well because it creates a situation that’s so abstract and extreme, it’s impossible to imagine any of these dynamics at work. Even the worst, most dystopian totalitarianism in which everyone spies on everyone else and everyone’s life is miserable will at least have been started by a group of true believers who think this is genuinely a good thing.
I contend examples are easy to find even after you account for all of those things you listed. If you’d like a more in-depth exploration of this topic, you might be interested in the book Inadequate Equilibria.
I’ve read Inadequate Equilibria, but that’s exactly the thing, this specific example doesn’t really convey that sort of situation. At the very least, some social interaction as well as the path to the pathological equilibrium are crucial to it. By stripping down all of that, the 99 C example makes no sense. They’re an integral part of why such things happen.