Cooperation, Competition and Control

Life is a dynamic process. All forms of life compete for the ability to propagate.

Our species bands together; this cooperation gives us a competitive advantage. Within our societies, we compete with each other for control of any of the resources. We are driven to do this.

Competition and cooperation intertwine at all levels within our interactions.

When a competition becomes stagnant, incentives grow to subvert the underlying cooperation that enables it. If some of the competitors bend the rules, to remain in the competition, the rest have to as well. Each iteration of the game converges to being stale, so the need to subvert the cooperation increases with time and the individual stability of the players.

Outside enforcement or a steady turn over of the players tends towards a fairer competition. Most new competitions start reasonably fair, but without correction will not remain that way.

Control, in an uncontrollable world, is the prize. It is best utilized when achieved, since it may be increasing lost with time. Through control, we can offset or at least delay other competitions.

A stronger base cooperation enables more intense competition. The two extremes cycle in dominance; one always pushes back on the other.

The game sometimes plays out across generations, but it isn’t always obvious to the players.

As some players compete and push their way up through the ranks, they become willing to do anything to move into the best position.

Some people just don’t want to play, they favor more cooperative environments.

A desire to win seems to be the stronger deciding factor, but can sometimes backfire, depending on the game.

We build a lot of myths around competing fairly, but most competitions are well past that stage. Most people outside the game are unaware of the status and most of the players would rather not admit it.

A stable competition must constrain the game. Stability comes from the outside, it must be tied to our most basic need to cooperate. The outsiders must maintain their ability to enforce the rules of the game. There is no naturally inherent stability, time will always pass, the game will always get stale.

The rules of the game need verification. Bends or breaks must be detectable. Any enforcement must know when to act.

Limited play time helps, but that can be subverted by cooperating groups which extend the context. If one group’s horizon significantly exceeds the field, then all other players will bind to different groups and the effect is the same as individuals, but just plays out a little slower.

Cooperation drives us at a basic level, but the need to compete and to gain control are dominate in our societies. We will compete at any and everything. If we want a better world, we need to address this at the core; to accept it and to allow it, but also to contain it to remain positive. Otherwise, the same decaying cycles just play out over and over again.