Another Moral Dilemma - The Prisoner’s Dilemma

[Niamh.]

3. The Prisoner’s Dilemma

You are a member of a gang and you have been arrested with another member of your gang. Both of you are confined away from each other and you have no way of communicating with the other member. The police does not have enough evidence to convict both of you with major charges and instead offer you and the other member a bargain. You have two choices:
(a) You can remain silent
(b) Or betray the other member and testify that he has committed the crime.

Then there are three outcomes:
(a) If you betray the other member and he remains silent, you will be set free and he will serve 3 years in prison. (But this also works vice versa. If you remain silent and he betrays you, you will serve 3 years in prison)
(b) If you betray the other member, and he betrays you too, you both serve 2 years in prison
(c) If you and the other member both remain silent, you both only serve one year in prison.

What would you do?

http://www.friesian.com/valley/dilemmas.htm

[smudgie]

You obviously stay silent...you wouldn't want the other gang members doing you over because you grassed.

[AProducer'sWetDream]

Stay silent, always. I don't think I could sleep at night knowing I betrayed another person while I have my freedom.

MInd you, I'm not likely to become a member of a gang anytime soon :laugh:

[Niamh.]

What if the sentence was longer, say 10 years if you both stay silent, 20 years if he rats on you?

[Vicky.]

I would grass tbh. yes I am selfish. **** it. He only gets an extra year if he stays silent, if we both grass then we get a reduced sentence and I wouldn't take the risk for the 1 year sentence of the possibility of him telling and mine going up to 3.

Mind I am also one of the people who would likely steal on goldenballs so...

[Jamie89]

You obviously stay silent...you wouldn't want the other gang members doing you over because you grassed.

Exactly what I thought :laugh: Also when they get out they'll come for you (if the other gang members haven't already)

[Ammi]

...I'm not a gang person...:laugh:..(but I would stay silent, otherwise I'd have to lie in court as well...

[Marsh.]

I wouldn't join a gang. :smug:

[Ammi]

..that'll be Marsh and me in a gang, then.../the gang of no ganging...

[Cal.]

Betraying the other member is the only option that could possibly get you out of no prison time. If he betrayed you too then you do prison time and that's how the cookie crumbles!

[Jack_]

The most iconic dilemma of them all :clap1:

In real life scenarios where this exists (i.e. Goldenballs) I'd always 'steal' so to speak, because you automatically place the ball in your court and cannot be ****ed over without the other person having to suffer the consequences too. That guy who once told the other person he was going to steal and that he should split had precisely the right strategy, and why more people didn't do the same thing always baffled me

Back to the actual question...using the same logic, I'd betray the other person

[DouglasS]

B] is the best option in any of the three scenarios as an individual so I'd pick that

[Toy Soldier]

The most iconic dilemma of them all :clap1:

In real life scenarios where this exists (i.e. Goldenballs) I'd always 'steal' so to speak, because you automatically place the ball in your court and cannot be ****ed over without the other person having to suffer the consequences too. That guy who once told the other person he was going to steal and that he should split had precisely the right strategy, and why more people didn't do the same thing always baffled me

Back to the actual question...using the same logic, I'd betray the other person

Indeed. Goldenballs was a broken formula especially because it was money... so your three scenarios were:

1) You both share and get half.
2) You both steal and get nothing.
3) They steal, you share and you get nothing.
4) You steal, they share, you get all of the money and can still give them half of it if you actually wanted to share, resulting in the only other positive outcome, #1.

So "Steal" is the correct answer. EVEN IF you want the other person to have half. They can still HAVE half, if they chose "share", that's up to you.

That said I don't think the same logic applies here... because everyone knows what happens to rats in prison :umm2:. You keep quiet and do your time. Ask Renee.

[Kizzy]

I would stay silent, if I avoid jail the other party would know I grassed. If they keep quiet too that's the best I could hope for.

[kirklancaster]

You obviously stay silent...you wouldn't want the other gang members doing you over because you grassed.

:laugh: