Al Gore on game theory
Famed ludologist Al Gore gave a few insights on his work on game theory at the Democratic National Convention: "You win some, you lose some. And then there's that little-known third category".
It is interesting how the American public and media (and even the Democrats) have generally avoided the use of the term "fraud". Admitting the existence of fraud and cheating is a burden, even for the cheated, because it forces everybody to recognize that there is quite a gap between their ideals and the way things work. Admitting the existence of cheating is admitting that there is no fair game and that Americans have been living under the illusion of democracy. That is quite a problematic situation for the self-proclaimed champions of democracy. It certainly feels more comfortable to disdain fraud as an aberration, the unspeakable, rather that accepting that your beliefs were built upon lies. I mean, it is not easy to realize that things are not like you thought they were. Coming of age experiences are traumatic, granted. I can only hope democracy lovers can outgrow the tragedy of fraud with more wisdom.
rCheating is not an exception. Cheating is part of the game. Loving the game means accepting that cheating is always a possibility and you have to know how to deal with it. The worst that can happen to democracy is to believe that it is an unbreakable system. Players only learn through defeat. You cannot learn how to overcome cheating if you do not accept the possibility of its existence. If you really love the game, you have to embrace cheating and accept it as part of its nature. Only then you can combat it by playing by the rules. Otherwise, who's the real cheater?
It is interesting how the American public and media (and even the Democrats) have generally avoided the use of the term "fraud". Admitting the existence of fraud and cheating is a burden, even for the cheated, because it forces everybody to recognize that there is quite a gap between their ideals and the way things work. Admitting the existence of cheating is admitting that there is no fair game and that Americans have been living under the illusion of democracy. That is quite a problematic situation for the self-proclaimed champions of democracy. It certainly feels more comfortable to disdain fraud as an aberration, the unspeakable, rather that accepting that your beliefs were built upon lies. I mean, it is not easy to realize that things are not like you thought they were. Coming of age experiences are traumatic, granted. I can only hope democracy lovers can outgrow the tragedy of fraud with more wisdom.
rCheating is not an exception. Cheating is part of the game. Loving the game means accepting that cheating is always a possibility and you have to know how to deal with it. The worst that can happen to democracy is to believe that it is an unbreakable system. Players only learn through defeat. You cannot learn how to overcome cheating if you do not accept the possibility of its existence. If you really love the game, you have to embrace cheating and accept it as part of its nature. Only then you can combat it by playing by the rules. Otherwise, who's the real cheater?
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