Introduction

Abstract

The situations to which game theory has actually been applied reflect its selective usefulness for problems and solutions of an individualistic and competitive nature, building in the values of the status quo. The main principal area of application has been economics. In economics, game theory has been used in studying competition for markets, advertising, planning under uncertainty, and so forth. Recently, game theory has also been applied to many other fields, such as law, ethics, sociology, biology, and of course, computer science. In all these applications, a close study of the formulation of the problem in the game theory perspective shows a strong inclination to work from existing values, to consider only currently contending parties and options, and in other ways, to exclude significant redefinitions of the problems at hand. This introductory chapter explores these and forms a basis for the rest of the book.