Theory Of Games And Economic Behavior

This book contains an exposition and various applications of a mathe-
matical theory of games. The theory has been developed by one of us
since 1928 and is now published for the first time in its entirety. The
applications are of two kinds: On the one hand to games in the proper sense,
on the other hand to economic and sociological problems which, as we hope
to show, are best approached from this direction.

The applications which we shall make to games serve at least as much
to corroborate the theory as to investigate these games. The nature of this
reciprocal relationship will become clear as the investigation proceeds.
Our major interest is, of course, in the economic and sociological direction.
Here we can approach only the simplest questions. However, these ques-
tions are of a fundamental character. Furthermore, our aim is primarily
to show that there is a rigorous approach to these subjects, involving, as
they do, questions of parallel or opposite interest, perfect or imperfect infor-
mation, free rational decision or chance influences.