#264 Kevin Zollman: Game Theory, Evolutionary Biology, And Social Dynamics
RECORDED ON SEPTEMBER 25th, 2019.
Dr. Kevin Zollman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Carnegie Mellon University. In addition to his primary appointment at Carnegie Mellon, he is an associate fellow at the Center for Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh, a visiting professor at the Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy (part of Ludwig-Maximilians Universität), and an associate editor of the journal Philosophy of Science. With Paul Raeburn, he is the author of The Game Theorist’s Guide to Parenting.
In this episode, we talk about game theory applied to biological phenomena and social dynamics. We go through several topics, including evolutionary stable strategies; signaling theory; honest communication and language; behavioral plasticity, and the evolution of culture; social norms; and epistemic communities, and how to improve science production.
Time Links:
Game theory, evolution, and social dynamics
Evolutionary Stable Strategies (ESS)
Signaling theory, the handicap principle, and other theories of signaling
Honest communication and language, and cheater detection
The evolution of behavioral plasticity
Behavioral plasticity, and the evolution of culture
How we get social norms
The interplay between individuals and societies
“Assortative” sociology
Epistemic communities
Improving science by understanding scientists’ social dynamics
Follow Dr. Zollman’s work!
Follow Dr. Zollman’s work:
Faculty page: http://bit.ly/2MQWyb2
Personal website: http://bit.ly/2lwP7e4
ResearchGate profile: http://bit.ly/2KGqHXO
Twitter handle: @KevinZollman
The Game Theorist’s Guide to Parenting: https://amzn.to/2mJmKct
Nicky Case: http://bit.ly/2n9sMU4
Relevant papers:
An Evolutionary Comparison of the Handicap Principle and Hybrid Equilibrium Theories of Signaling: http://bit.ly/2l3ph0M
Between Cheap and Costly Signals: The Evolution of Partially Honest Communication: http://bit.ly/2lFJKZV
Methodology in Biological Game Theory: http://bit.ly/2lahdvq
Signaling games: The dynamics of evolution and learning: http://bit.ly/2lIL665
The Stability of Strategic Plasticity: http://bit.ly/2l0WvxM
The Communication Structure of Epistemic Communities: http://bit.ly/2ndwTi3