About

Image via Wikipedia

In 1976,  I started to study game theory, logic, and ethics at the University of Waterloo.  I had very high hopes for game theory, presented some novel solutions to Newcomb's problem to my undergraduate advisor, Jay Minas.  

Professor Minas then destroyed what chances I had to become a calculating wizard in game theory by asking a simple question: "What do you mean by "solution" to a game?"

Now, I thought this would be a simple answer and immediately consulted various authorities for a standard explanation between a calculation based on a model and a recommendation for action for the situation the model was describing.  

I got stuck on trying decide who was right as between Schelling and Harsanyi about the status of the symmetry axiom in bargaining theory, swaying between the arguments.  Both seemed attractive.

Despite being unable to answer the question, I wrote a PhD on choice theory and non standard preferences, and had Professor A.K. Sen as my external examiner.  In 1988, I spent two wonderful years at Stanford still trying to figure out the relationship between a formal calculation and a recommendation for an action.

Many years later, I am still looking for anything close to a standard explanation.

In the mean time, I am writing this blog as a way of exploring the question about the relationship between calculations and recommendations, and anything else I can fit into this topic which grabs my attention.

In my day job, I am an attorney based in Toronto, Ontario.  I have practiced commercial litigation for 15 years.

I provide litigation services to franchisees, negotiation and mediation support to Independent Franchisee Associations.