The Putney School

Lao-Tzu '08 thought Putney would embody the simple life. He has found that working past expectations in academics, arts, and sports is anything but simple.

Lao The mathematical paradox of The Prisoner's Dilemma fascinates Lao-Tzu '08. Lao came to Putney at the beginning of his junior year, mostly because the overall curriculum in his public high school in the hills overlooking Santa Barbara, California seemed plodding.

Stumbling upon this fascinating "game theory" problem gave Lao yet another opportunity to move beyond a core curriculum and work at his own speed—a speed that is, to say the least, spirited. Lao so thoroughly enjoys racing through the endless ramifications of The Prisoner's Dilemma that he plans to spend part of his summer writing a David Mamet-like screenplay about it. He'd better. He has already cast the movie and secured permission to direct, shoot, and edit it for his senior year Evening Activity credit. "The Prisoner's Dilemma" will be Lao's third major video project in as many semesters at Putney.

"There were times when I worked maybe 25 hours a week on my videos during junior year. Some weeks I worked just as hard in math, science, history, or English or on a drawing or painting. I actually go to bed at 8:30 at night so that I can wake up early and get it all done.”

Lao gets a lot done. During Putney's Project Week (actually a 10-day period), Lao completed an entire year of Precalculus. This was the same 10-day period when he got a running start on a novel he is writing.

"When I came to Putney I somehow believed I was entering something called 'the simple life.' Nothing could have been farther from the truth. When something catches my imagination—maybe it's an idea for a movie but it might just as easily be a lesson in chemistry or history—I set out to learn more about it.

"It's tough to work as hard and fast as I want on something that intrigues me and keep track of all of the rest of my obligations, as well. But I absolutely have to keep track of everything. I was so busy the fall semester of my junior year that I'd walk into the Video Lab Tuesday and Thursday evenings covered in mud. Usually, I'd subbed for the goalie in soccer just a few hours earlier. I never had even a moment to change clothes. And so, once in Video class, I'd have to figure out how to work "mud" into the plot of my movie. (I had a role in the movie I was directing.) There's nothing simple about a life like mine at Putney."

The Prisoner's Dilemma

Two suspects are guilty of collaborating on a crime. The police have insufficient evidence to convict either. They separate the prisoners and offer each a deal. If one testifies and the other remains silent, the one who testifies goes free and the silent accomplice gets 10 years in jail. If both stay silent, both get six months in jail. If each betrays the other, each goes to jail for two years.

Neither prisoner knows for sure what choice the other will make, and that is the dilemma. If each prisoner is only interested in obtaining the best outcome for himself or herself, what should that prisoner do?

Game theory paradoxes like The Prisoner's Dilemma were developed mostly for use in modeling strategies for nuclear arms control. (Like the prisoners in the dilemma, each country in an arms race usually is primarily concerned with the best outcome for itself. As awful as it may sound, practically speaking the outcome for an allied country or even for an enemy is usually only a secondary consideration.)

Scientists have used The Prisoner's Dilemma for far more than arms control scenarios, however. It has helped explain animal behavior and evolutionary theory. It also has found applications in political science, criminology, jurisprudence, ethology, and even athletics.