The Game Theory
Before we start, let us quickly look at the Game Theory definition:
“Game theory is a branch of mathematics that represents interdependent decision making. By “interdependent decision” making I mean situations (arguably most, if not all, of those we face in life) where the outcomes of one’s decision depends on decisions made by others. One of the most frequently discussed models in game theory is the well-known Prisoner’s Dilemma.”
http://www.wired.com/2012/04/probability-and-game-theory-in-the-hunger-games/
When we first raised concerns about Mr Varoufakis and his role in the unfolding of the Greek drama, we did not fully understand the parameters of what we were looking at. Today, we can observe a few more “details”. We know for example that Mr Varoufakis was educated in the West from an early age, and continued his career by teaching at prestigious Western universities like Essex, East Anglia (remember ClimateGate scandal?) and Cambridge before moving to Sydney where he taught at the University of Sydney’s economics department. Mr Varoufakis spent more than a decade in Australia, where his research mainly focused on game theory, the mathematical study of decision-making and of conflict and strategy in social situations.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-19/who-is-yanis-varoufakis/6148862
What has really got us thinking more about what this may really mean, was the reading of the following article written about a Psychology Professor at the University of Maryland, Dylan Selterman, who happens to focus on the same Game Theories and Prisoner’s Dilemma.
While reading the article, it is hard to fail to notice terms that strike a very sensible cord, like: communal choice, commons dilemma etc, not failing to mention the challenges the humanity faces: global warming, etc, you get the idea. The overall tone of the article and what it seems to specifically try to emphasize is the importance of trying to channel people’s focus to the needs of the collective and the promotion of the idea of the common good, and it tries to suggest how each individual can contribute towards achieving these goals, especially under scenarios carefully chosen to portray situations of scarcity or shortages (or hard times). Ultimately, what the author is trying to suggest is unity in face of calamity (yes, same theme!). The message is quite clear, the utopian communist ideals are cleverly packaged and re-sold all over again – who could have thought about Communism coming to the West? Poor students and peoples are once again falling victims to this deception, now on an even larger scale.
Besides this, there is an even more troubling aspect to all of this, which is the degree of scientific support this effort is getting. The analogies are clearly focusing around the “Prisoner’s Dilema” scenario, on which the Game Theory “science” seems to be based upon or refer back to in one way or another. This now becomes interesting, the idea of man as “prisoner”. Why?
This opens up a whole new perspective in understanding where this whole thing is heading. Just take a look at what has just happened to Greece as a nation. Many look at Mr Varoufakis’ strategy as a failure, or a failed “Game Theory” experiment, but if your goal was to transform a whole nation into a nation of hunger game participants (prisoners), then this could be considered an utter success. And this is where it all comes around full circle: The Hunger Games movie and the ideas behind it. Upon a closer look at what this movie’s message really is, things become quite clear: everyone is a prisoner in a society where the elite oppress the masses. Elysium is another example. These movies are all trying to imprint a sublime message in peoples minds: that in which everyone becomes a prisoner to the ruling elite – a small group of people oppressing the many (which links into Liberation Theology very neatly). The scenarios behind movies like The Hunger Games and Elysium resemble closely the scenarios of scarcity and shortages (basically hard times) described by Professor Dylan Selterman. It now becomes very clear, the same old communist ideals are now repackaged and resold in a whole new context, one which will be more favorable to being finally accepted by the vast masses – some cataclysmic events that lead to extremely hard time which require an “appropriate”, “common” stance.
What are Professor Dylan’s solutions? Let us quote directly from the article:
“Another strategy relies on shame rather than money; we could make people’s behaviour publicly identifiable so they are no longer anonymous (a former student suggested that I write a list of all people who chose 6 points for the whole class to see). Threats to reputation can be a powerful motivator.
The idea is to turn everyone into a police state participant, everyone becomes a judge of others, just like in everyone’s favourite TV show: “The Voice”. The way this new social model works is by ensuring everyone ensures everyone else abides by the rules, for the sake of the common good, the system of universal spying becomes the new norm, and the new God becomes some form of a collective conscience which will judge everyone.
There are important Orthodox prophecies describing just such a scenario in which we all become prisoners. Blessed Seraphim Rose and Herman Podmoshensky mentioned the coming “universal money crisis” that is being readied for humanity in their Orthodox Survival Course, and St Kosmas of Aetolia also prophesied this about the events unfolding in the End Times:
“The rich will become poor and the poor will die”.
http://www.imdleo.gr/diaf/files/english/St_Kosmas/St.%20Kosmas_pro.html
And this is how everyone becomes a “prisoner”, or a “hunger game” contestant. Given the level of surveillance we are being subjected to, we already are all prisoners. Whatever happened in Greece looks more like a deliberate act rather than a failed experiment. It is all a game with people’s minds, now conducted in a scientific way.
For us, Orthodox Christians, their idea of a “role model prisoner” has no relevance. There is only one role model we can follow: that of the Holy Confessors and Martyrs of the Communist Prisons. Against this role model, a unimaginable war is being raged right now, as it always has. In Romania for example, the Parliament and the (western) president had just passed a law putting most of these Saints outside legality by declaring the movement to which most of them belonged to as a fascist, thus an illegal one. The Orthodox Church in Romania, having missed (intentionally?) the opportunity to canonize them, has put itself in the position where this becomes truly impossible now, for if it wanted to indeed canonize them it would go into direct conflict with the political authorities.
So what sort of hope is there left for us? Only to follow in their (these Saints) example!
