So much of our world today can be summed up in the cold logic of “if I don’t, they will.” This is the foundation of game theory, which holds that cooperation and virtue are irrational; that all that matters is the race to make the most money, gain the most power, and play the winning hand. T...
So much of our world today can be summed up in the cold logic of “if I don’t, they will.” This is the foundation of game theory, which holds that cooperation and virtue are irrational; that all that matters is the race to make the most money, gain the most power, and play the winning hand.
This way of thinking can feel inescapable, like a fundamental law of human nature. But our guest today, professor Sonja Amadae, argues that it doesn’t have to be this way. That the logic of game theory is a human invention, a way of thinking that we’ve learned — and that we can unlearn.
In this episode, Tristan and Aza explore the game theory dilemma — the idea that if I adopt game theory logic and you don’t, you lose — with Dr. Sonja Amadae, a professor of Political Science at the University of Helsinki. She's also the director at the Center for the Study of Existential Risk at the University of Cambridge and the author of “Prisoners of Reason: Game Theory and the Neoliberal Economy.”
The history of game theory as an inhumane technology stretches back to its WWII origins. But humans also cooperate, and we can break out of the rationality trap by daring to trust each other again. It’s critical that we do, because AI is the ultimate agent of game theory and once it’s fully entangled we might be permanently stuck in the game theory world.
RECOMMENDED MEDIA
“Prisoners of Reason: Game Theory and the Neoliberal Economy” by Sonja Amadae (2015)
The Cambridge Centre for the Study of Existential Risk
“Theory of Games and Economic Behavior” by John von Neumann and Oskar Morgenstern (1944)
Further reading on the importance of trust in Finland
Further reading on Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
RAND’s 2024 Report on Strategic Competition in the Age of AI
Further reading on Marshall Rosenberg and nonviolent communication
The study on self/other overlap and AI alignment cited by Aza
Further reading on The Day After (1983)
RECOMMENDED YUA EPISODES
America and China Are Racing to Different AI Futures
The Crisis That United Humanity—and Why It Matters for AI
Laughing at Power: A Troublemaker’s Guide to Changing Tech
The Race to Cooperation with David Sloan Wilson
Clarifications:
- The proposal for a federal preemption on AI was enacted by President Trump on December 11, 2025, shortly after this recording.
- Aza said that "The Day After" was the most watched TV event in history when it aired. It was actually the most watched TV film, the most watched TV event was the finale of MASH
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