In this Book
- Jane Austen, Game Theorist: Updated Edition
- Book
- 2014
- Published by: Princeton University Press
How the works of Jane Austen show that game theory is present in all human behavior
Game theory—the study of how people make choices while interacting with others—is one of the most popular technical approaches in social science today. But as Michael Chwe reveals in his insightful new book, Jane Austen explored game theory's core ideas in her six novels roughly two hundred years ago—over a century before its mathematical development during the Cold War. Jane Austen, Game Theorist shows how this beloved writer theorized choice and preferences, prized strategic thinking, and analyzed why superiors are often strategically clueless about inferiors. Exploring a diverse range of literature and folktales, this book illustrates the wide relevance of game theory and how, fundamentally, we are all strategic thinkers.
Table of Contents
- Abbreviations
- pp. xiii-xiv
- Chapter One: The Argument
- pp. 1-8
- Chapter Four: Flossie and the Fox
- pp. 43-48
- Chapter Seven: Austen’s Competing Models
- pp. 115-132
- Chapter Nine: Austen’s Innovations
- pp. 141-170
- Chapter Eleven: Austen’s Intentions
- pp. 179-187
- Chapter Twelve: Austen on Cluelessness
- pp. 188-210
- Chapter Thirteen: Real-World Cluelessness
- pp. 211-227
- Chapter Fourteen: Concluding Remarks
- pp. 228-234
- Afterword to the Paperback Edition
- pp. 235-236
- References
- pp. 237-252