Scientific Definition
Coordination problem where cooperation pays more but defection is safer.
Plain-English Definition
Coordination problem where cooperation pays more but defection is safer.
Feynman Explanation
We could catch the stag if we trusted each other not to chase rabbits.
Core Principle
Coordination problem where cooperation pays more but defection is safer.
Mechanisms
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Inputs (Triggers)
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Outputs (Behaviors)
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Behavioral Signature
We could catch the stag if we trusted each other not to chase rabbits.
Examples
- Two teams could ship a platform together; each ships its own MVP instead.
- Strategy stalls when no one trusts the others to hold the line.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
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Design Principles
- Lower the cost of trusting first; make defection legible.
Measurement Approaches
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Evidence
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The Perverse Incentive Lens™
How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.
- Lower the cost of trusting first; make defection legible.
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Interactive Mini Network
Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.
Knowledge Graph Neighbors
Auto-linked to the rest of the Human Behavior Taxonomy by family, domain, dimension, and shared keywords.
Individually rational choices that produce a collectively bad outcome.
Outcomes depend on aligning choices, not on who 'wins.'
People consume shared resources without contributing.
Clear ownership of outcomes, not just tasks.
Asymmetric information attracts the worst counterparties.
We defer to perceived expertise, rank, or uniform.
Vastness that exceeds existing schemas dissolves the self briefly.
Negative feedback returns a system toward a target.
Membership in a group is a baseline human need.
We seek tasks where we feel effective and improving.
Competing loyalties that compromise judgment.
Value is judged against whatever sits next to it.