Zero, sum, non-zero-sum
Beyond the Scoreboard: Why Non-Zero Sum Games are the Real Winners in Life
Ruk ruk ruk! wtf are you trying to say, Arpit?
Look, we all have been living a life of competition, always trying to be first irrespective of the cost we have incurred. Starting from college admissions, and football matches to whatnot we are wired to compete and competition is biological so that you never run out of resources and starve to death.
And this feeling of competition, where one wins and the other loses is the crux of zero-sum games. It's like a pie - if one person takes a bigger slice, there's less for everyone else.
The nuance is we have a false sense of competition that it does not make any sense to have. The best example is wealth creation.
…[Nuance-sense]
when an entrepreneur creates a new business, they not only create wealth for themselves but also their employees, suppliers, and customers. As the business grows and becomes more successful, the overall wealth in the economy increases, and everyone can benefit from the increased prosperity.
Health, education ( education does not necessarily come from college admissions), Art, music etc are great examples of non-zero-sum games.
If you've noticed zero-sum games are like finite games and non-zero-sum games are like infinite games. (Percy sir op 🫡)
Finite games you play to win, infinite games you play to play.
3 “AHA” moments this week.
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Enough for today.
Non zero sum games require others to co-operate and find mutual benefits like negotiating a business deal and trying to achieve the win - win outcome right? But what if the other players are not willing to co-operate and are just focused on their own goals and benefits? It would be challenging to achieve a win - win outcome then. Should we move on to a different game or approach then?