I still endorse the broad thrusts of this post. But I think it should change at least somewhat. I’m not sure how extensively, but here are some considerations
Clearer distinctions between Prisoner’s Dilemma and Stag Hunts
I should be more clear about what the game theoretical distinctions I’m actually making between Prisoners Dilemma and Stag Hunt. I think Rob Bensinger rightly criticized the current wording, which equivocates between “stag hunting is meaningfully different” and “‘hunting rabbit’ has nicer aesthetic properties than ‘defect’”.
I think Turntrout spelled out in the comments why it’s meaningful to think in terms of stag hunts. I’m not sure it’s the post’s job to lay it out in the exhaustive detail that his comment does, but it should at least gesture at the idea.
Future Work: Explore a lot of coordination failures and figure out what the actual most common rules / payoff structures are.
Stag Hunting is relevant sometimes, but not always. I think it’s probably more relevant than Prisoner’s Dilemma, which is a step up, but I think it’s worth actually checking which game theory archetypes are most relevant most of the time.
Reworked Example
Some people comment that my proposed stag hunt… wasn’t a stag hunt. I think that’s actually kind of the point (i.e. most things that look like stag hunts are more complicated than you think, and people may not agree on the utility payoff). Coming up with good examples is hard, but I think at the very least the post should make it more clear that no, my original intended Stag Hunt did not have the appropriate payoff matrix after all.
What’s the correct title?
While I endorse most of the models and gears in this post, I… have mixed feelings about the title. I’m not actually sure what the key takeaway of the post is meant to be. Abram’s comment gets at some of the issues here. Benquo also notes that we do have plenty of stag hunts where the schelling choice is Stag (i.e. don’t murder)
I think there were two primary intended ‘negative’ points (i.e. “things you SHOULDN’T do”)
Don’t hunt stag unsustainably. I’ve seen a bunch of people get burned out and frustrated from hitting the Stag button and then not having enough support. Either make sure you have buy-in, or only hunt stag when you can afford to lose.
Be careful punishing people when they choose Rabbit. Often, you’re just wrong about either your proposal being a staghunt, or about people having common knowledge that your proposal is good. (punishing in a way people consider unjust often shuts down coordination potential). I think this is a fairly complex point that this post doesn’t quite address.
There are multiple positive-advice-takeaways you might have from this post, but they depend a lot on what situation you’re actually in.
Self Review.
I still endorse the broad thrusts of this post. But I think it should change at least somewhat. I’m not sure how extensively, but here are some considerations
Clearer distinctions between Prisoner’s Dilemma and Stag Hunts
I should be more clear about what the game theoretical distinctions I’m actually making between Prisoners Dilemma and Stag Hunt. I think Rob Bensinger rightly criticized the current wording, which equivocates between “stag hunting is meaningfully different” and “‘hunting rabbit’ has nicer aesthetic properties than ‘defect’”.
I think Turntrout spelled out in the comments why it’s meaningful to think in terms of stag hunts. I’m not sure it’s the post’s job to lay it out in the exhaustive detail that his comment does, but it should at least gesture at the idea.
Future Work: Explore a lot of coordination failures and figure out what the actual most common rules / payoff structures are.
Stag Hunting is relevant sometimes, but not always. I think it’s probably more relevant than Prisoner’s Dilemma, which is a step up, but I think it’s worth actually checking which game theory archetypes are most relevant most of the time.
Reworked Example
Some people comment that my proposed stag hunt… wasn’t a stag hunt. I think that’s actually kind of the point (i.e. most things that look like stag hunts are more complicated than you think, and people may not agree on the utility payoff). Coming up with good examples is hard, but I think at the very least the post should make it more clear that no, my original intended Stag Hunt did not have the appropriate payoff matrix after all.
What’s the correct title?
While I endorse most of the models and gears in this post, I… have mixed feelings about the title. I’m not actually sure what the key takeaway of the post is meant to be. Abram’s comment gets at some of the issues here. Benquo also notes that we do have plenty of stag hunts where the schelling choice is Stag (i.e. don’t murder)
I think there were two primary intended ‘negative’ points (i.e. “things you SHOULDN’T do”)
Don’t hunt stag unsustainably. I’ve seen a bunch of people get burned out and frustrated from hitting the Stag button and then not having enough support. Either make sure you have buy-in, or only hunt stag when you can afford to lose.
Be careful punishing people when they choose Rabbit. Often, you’re just wrong about either your proposal being a staghunt, or about people having common knowledge that your proposal is good. (punishing in a way people consider unjust often shuts down coordination potential). I think this is a fairly complex point that this post doesn’t quite address.
There are multiple positive-advice-takeaways you might have from this post, but they depend a lot on what situation you’re actually in.