The “Self” and the “Others”: From Game Theory to Behavioral and Neuroeconomics

Christian Schmidt ()
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Christian Schmidt: Paris Dauphine University

A chapter in A Genealogy of Self-Interest in Economics, 2021, pp 273-288 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract The starting point of this chapter is the evidence that the “self” is to be understood by reference to the “others”. Given this game situations offer the best framework for analyzing their dynamic relations and thus making game theory as the appropriate tool. The first part recalls the evolution of the ideas on the topic, from Leibniz studies on board games to Game theory, and from Von Neumann Morgenstern approach by means of cooperative games to Nash investigation by means of non-cooperative games. In the second part, the concept of “common knowledge” which was introduced by game theorists for linking the self to the others is analyzed from a logic view point, as well as from a mentalist approach. More precisely the assumption that rationality is common knowledge between the players is discussed and criticized. In a third part the recent contributions of neurosciences to the topic are introduced and discussed through three main dimensions: The discover of the “mirror neurons”, the contribution of the theory of mind and the neural substates of empathy. The idea of a connection between the” self” and “the others” ’by means of a kind of mental dictionary is suggested in the conclusion.

Keywords: Common knowledge; Empathy; Game theory; Neural mirrors; Others; Self (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-981-15-9395-6_16

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DOI: 10.1007/978-981-15-9395-6_16

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