Join Amazon Prime and ship Two-Day for free and Overnight for $3.99. Already a member? Sign in.

Moral Calculations: Game Theory, Logic, and Human Frailty and over 300,000 other books are available for Amazon Kindle � Amazon�s new wireless reading device. Learn more

Quantity:

More Buying Choices

49 used & new from $6.99

Have one to sell? Sell yours here

Share with Friends

See all product images
See 1 customer image

Share your own customer images

Search inside this book

Start reading Moral Calculations: Game Theory, Logic, and Human Frailty on your Kindle in under a minute. Don�t have a Kindle? Get yours here.

Moral Calculations : Game Theory, Logic and Human Frailty (Hardcover)

by Laszlo Mero (Author) "In a game described by Martin Shubik a dollar bill is put up for sale..." (more)
Key Phrases: polarized law, hiding lottery, posing fights, Scientific American, Adam Smith, Moral Calculations (more...)

4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)

List Price:	$28.00
Price:	$28.00 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details
	o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

Upgrade this book for $5.60 more, and you can read, search, and annotate every page online. See details

In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Only 5 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want it delivered Wednesday, July 22? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details

24 new from $17.98 24 used from $6.99 1 collectible from $28.00

Also Available in:	List Price:	Our Price:	Other Offers:
Kindle Edition (Kindle Book)		$15.40

Frequently Bought Together

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Game Theory: A Nontechnical Introduction

by Morton D. Davis

4.1 out of 5 stars (16) $8.76

Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

by Dan Ariely

4.2 out of 5 stars (235) $17.13

The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable

by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

3.7 out of 5 stars (448) $18.48

Game Theory: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

by Ken Binmore

2.6 out of 5 stars (10) $8.54

Games People Play: The Basic Handbook of Transactional Analysis.

by Eric Berne

4.2 out of 5 stars (52) $10.94

› Explore similar items

Related Items


Computing the Continuous Discretely: Integer-point Enumeration in Polyhedra (Undergraduate Texts in Mathematics) $49.95 $45.42	Algebraic Combinatorics: Lectures at a Summer School in Nordfjordeid, Norway, June 2003 (Universitext) $74.95 $60.14	Graph Theory (Graduate Texts in Mathematics) $59.95 $47.75

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Here's something to do at your next dinner party after the guests have wined and dined, tell them you're auctioning off a dollar--a plain U.S. one-dollar bill. But set the rules as follows: while the winner gets the dollar, the second-highest bidder must also pay the amount of his last bid, even though he gets nothing.

If you can get a single one-cent bid, chances are the auction will go to fifty cents. If someone bids fifty-one cents, bidding will almost certainly reach a dollar. If it goes to one dollar and one cent, the sky's the limit. No one wants to be the second-highest bidder. Afterwards the bidders say they spent so much because their opponent "went crazy," which is a little like saying "the fight started when he hit me back."

Everyone has gotten into situations that resembled the dollar auction--where they devoted way too much effort to something not worth the commitment, because the cost of giving up was worse.

Why do we act this way? How can we recognize these traps before we're in too deep? Is there such a thing as rational behavior, and if so, how do we use it to our advantage?

Hungarian mathematician Laszlo Mero introduces us to the basics of John von Neumann's game theory and shows how it illuminates such aspects of human psychology as altruism, competition, and politics. Mero covers such concepts as zero-sum games; Prisoner's Dilemma; the game of Chicken (played with cars in Rebel Without A Cause), where logic proves that the rational strategy is to be irrational; how to be kind to your lover through game theory; and when the Golden Rule works and when it leads to disaster.

Mero shows how game theory is applicable to fields ranging from physics to evolutionary biology, and explores the role of rational thinking in the context of real-life situations ranging from doorway etiquette to the nuclear arms race. He also explains how moral dilemmas arise; how to act rationally and ethically when they do; and how the intersection of rationality and irrationality inevitably becomes what we call "wisdom." This fascinating, urbane book shows us how we can better understand ethical behavior.

About the Author
Laszlo Mero is a mathematician living in Hungary, where Moral Calculations was a national bestseller. His latest project is a computer game he is developing with Erno Rubik, the inventor of the Rubik's Cube.

Product Details

Hardcover: 276 pages
Publisher: Springer; 1 edition (July 1, 1998)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0387984194
ISBN-13: 978-0387984193
Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #932,349 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in this category: (What's this?)
#62 in Books > Health, Mind & Body > Psychology & Counseling > By Topic > Reasoning

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
In a game described by Martin Shubik a dollar bill is put up for sale. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
polarized law, hiding lottery, posing fights, optimal mixed strategy, mutual fate control, million dollar game, mashed yeast, dollar auction game, asynchronous situation, group selection theory, selfish gene theory, optimal mixed strategies, somatic markers, mathematical game theory, plucking petals, real poker, pure rationality, stable cooperation, evolutionarily stable strategy, hidden parameters, other slit, gene selection, pure strategy, iterated prisoner

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Scientific American, Adam Smith, Moral Calculations, Meister Eckhart, Nobel Prize, Albert Einstein, Grand Unified Theory, King Solomon, Max Born, Merrill Flood, Anatol Rapoport, Eastern Europe, Johan Huizinga, John Maynard Smith

New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats

Citations (learn more)

This book cites 94 books:

The Selfish Gene: 30th Anniversary Edition--with a new Introduction by the Author by Richard Dawkins on page 124, page 128, and Back Matter
Kant: The Metaphysics of Morals (Cambridge Texts in the History of Philosophy) by Immanuel Kant on page 51, and Back Matter
Two Essays on Analytical Psychology (Collected Works of C.G. Jung Vol.7) by C. G. Jung on page 226, and Back Matter
Too Much Invested to Quit (General Psychology) by Allan I. Teger on page 8, and Back Matter
Analytical Psychology by C. G. Jung on page 226, and Back Matter

See all 94 books this book cites

Books on Related Topics (learn more)

Animal Behavior by John Alcock

Discusses:

The Evolution Of Cooperation by Robert Axelrod

Discusses:

The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins

Discusses:

The Moral Animal by Robert Wright

Discusses:

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

(What's this?)

Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.

economics(1)

evolution(1)

mathematics(1)

mysticism(1)

physics(1)

poker(1)

See all 7 tags...

Help others find this product — tag it for Amazon search

No one has tagged this product for Amazon search yet. Why not be the first to suggest a search for which it should appear?

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Reviews

9 Reviews

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.3 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very well written and important book, March 20, 1999

By	wklemens@ix.netcom.com (Trenton, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

I found this book compelling: an understandable, non-dogmatic, open-minded, non-technical yet scientific look at how mathematical game theory might be applied by someone trying to behave morally in a universe of limited resources. The concepts are clearly stated without jargon in such a way that people with little aptitude or patience for mathematics will remain interested throughout. An important book for anyone interested in morality at any level.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An interesting book gets very, very strange., March 21, 1999

By	Anthony Berno (San Jose, Ca USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Mero's book is an interesting read, and is a very good non-mathematical review of the basics of game theory and its relationship to human ethics. I suspect that its translation from Hungarian led to its sometimes strange choices of words, but on the whole, it is a good way to get a sense of the surprising generality and importance of the subject.

Unfortunately, the book is marred by Mero's expansion of game theory into a "theory of everything". By the last chapter, he has gone from straightforward applied mathematics into fuzzy-headed mysticism. At this point, the book has become more embarassing than interesting. My suggestion is to read the first half of tbe book and forget the rest!

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for learning about Game Theory, May 17, 2002

By	"madden818" (LA, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This book is fascinating in how it demonstrates what we do in politics, science, and even meditation can affect our rational (and irrational) decision making processes, both individualy and in community.

I actually got referred to this book by a website that discussed Game Theory and when I went to Amazon to purchase it, I was amused by the reviewers on Amazon that were horrified that the last of the book covered Meditation/Mysticism. Thats what absolutely convinced me to buy it. I am a scientist and I am practicing meditation, I see both sides.

Mero does a great job of showing how Game Theory can explain the Rational and also show how irrational we are. He practically predicts why the reviewers that didn't like the last parts of his book are the way they are, which of course made them say the things they say in the review!

As the famous ad says, Just do it.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 9 customer reviews...

Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Covers Such Concepts As Zerosum Games;...
"Is there such a thing as rational behavior, and if so, how do we use it to our advantage?
Hungarian mathematician Laszlo Mero introduces us to the basics of John von... Read more

Published 6 months ago by Aung Htun

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read for anyone interested in math or physics or biology or psychology or economics or mysticism
Laszlo is a master game theorist who is also able to convey the essence of many other complex and abstract fields and explain those concepts vis-a-vis game theory principles... Read more

Published on March 26, 2007 by Aditya Pandit

4.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction to game theory
The first half of the book was absolutely terrific and I am glad I book, however, it gets a little scattered toward the second half.

Published on June 14, 2006 by A. Yaga

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting book
The book is divided into three parts:

I. Introduces some concepts from game theory, psychology
II. Gives examples from fields of economics, physics, biology
III. Read more

Published on December 30, 2003 by _mt

3.0 out of 5 stars For crying out loud, NEVER play the dollar auction!
In this book, Mero adds some flesh to game theory, explaining why so many people become entranced with how it sets up economic and social choices as toy puzzles, in which people... Read more

Published on June 5, 2001 by Mary P. Campbell

5.0 out of 5 stars Bravo, the most thoughtful book of the year
1998 was a crummy year. The single, sole exception to that is Meros' book, "Moral Calculations". Read more

Published on January 6, 1999 by Bruce A. Salisbury

› See all 9 customer reviews...

.jsOffDisplayBlock { display: block; } .jsOffDisplayInline { display: inline; } .jsOffVisibility { visibility: visible; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jsOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; }

Customer Discussions

Beta (What's this?)

New! See all customer communities, and bookmark your communities to keep track of them.

This product's forum (0 discussions)

	Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
	No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight

Start a new discussion

Topic:

First post:

Receive e-mail when new posts are made

Prompts for sign-in

[Cancel]

Guidelines

Active discussions in related forums

Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
health Obama's health care plan will destroy alternative medicine	527	13 seconds ago
health What do you think of animal testing?	190	6 minutes ago
science The TRUTH about evolution.	1930	14 minutes ago
science Why is the Mendocino Fracture Zone important?	22	42 minutes ago
mathematics UCLA prealgebra program	2	6 hours ago
economics The Coming Planned Economy Will Put the Market in Its Place	5	8 hours ago
economics The Laissez-Faire Myth and the Marxism of the Media	2	9 hours ago