Tit for tat
Tit for tat is a highly effective strategy in game theory.
See the Wikipedia Entry on Tit for Tat
Description
Based on the English saying meaning "equivalent retaliation" ("tit for tat"), an 'agent' using this strategy will initially cooperate, then respond in kind to a previous opponent's action. If the opponent previously was cooperative, the agent is cooperative. If not, the agent is not. This is equivalent to the concept of reciprocal altruism in the context of biology, hence the term 'evolutionary' theory. It leads to a non zero sum or win win strategy. Both biologist Richard Dawkins and Princeton Scholar Robert Wright note that in both animal and human behavior, this simple strategy led to cooperation amongst tribes or collectives.
Tit for tat might also describe less sanguine strategies, such as that of "an eye for an eye." Because tit for tat rests on reciprocity, the tone of any response will echo the opening move. In contrast to a dialectical, or contradictory, progression, tit for tat involves a series of like-minded moves. Phenomena as different as an arms race and a negotiation for peace can each illustrate the reciprocal language of tit for tat game structure. Hence the tendency of an arms race to devolve into a "spiral."
Tit for tat is a self-affirming communication system, and whether it functions as a trap or as progress depends on whether participants are in conflict or cooperation.
Comment from editor BubbleFish:
"In relationship to P2P culture, this strategy can be found in written online dialogue or Dialectic, leading users to co-intelligence or synthesis of idea."