Really enjoyed this! Pre-dating some of the work you cite (though not pre-dating Adam Smith) is Robert Axelrod's work "The Evolution of Cooperation" in which he describes the 'discount parameter'--a.k.a., 'the shadow of the future'--in the context of his famous tit-for-tat strategy in a repeated interaction tournament. That seems very pa…
Really enjoyed this! Pre-dating some of the work you cite (though not pre-dating Adam Smith) is Robert Axelrod's work "The Evolution of Cooperation" in which he describes the 'discount parameter'--a.k.a., 'the shadow of the future'--in the context of his famous tit-for-tat strategy in a repeated interaction tournament. That seems very parallel to your example of Jane and John and their exchange of bread.
Really enjoyed this! Pre-dating some of the work you cite (though not pre-dating Adam Smith) is Robert Axelrod's work "The Evolution of Cooperation" in which he describes the 'discount parameter'--a.k.a., 'the shadow of the future'--in the context of his famous tit-for-tat strategy in a repeated interaction tournament. That seems very parallel to your example of Jane and John and their exchange of bread.
Thanks! Yes Axelrod's work and his findings about the tit for tat strategy are very relevant.
(I discussed these in my post on the game theoretic foundations of morality, https://www.optimallyirrational.com/p/the-game-theoretical-foundations)