Life Lessons from Game Theory: The Art of Thinking Strategically in a Complex World 'Wooldridge is like the teacher you wish you'd had' GUARDIAN
Michael Wooldridge
May 2026 · Wildfire · Narrated by Michael Wooldridge
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7 hr 37 min
Unabridged
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'Wooldridge is like the teacher you wish you'd had'
GUARDIAN
'This book is simply brilliant . . . I learned so much'
SIR DAVID SPIEGELHALTER, UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
'Fresh, clever and playful'
MATT RIDLEY, AUTHOR OF THE ORIGINS OF VIRTUE
'Michael explains the complex, strategic structures of our world with masterful beauty'
MILIND TAMBE, HARVARD UNIVERSITY
'Effortlessly covers a broad swath of core ideas in game theory, with a sprinkle of British humour'
EDITH ELKIND, NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
'A wonderful book'
YOAV SHOHAM, STANFORD UNIVERSITY
______
A fascinating deep-dive into game theory, its history and its practical applications by award-winning expert on computer science and artificial intelligence.
Most of us have some idea about game theory. Concepts like zero-sum games and the prisoner's dilemma crop up in films, novels and casual conversation, often as shorthand for cut-throat competition or inevitable betrayal. But game theory, the science behind these ideas, is widely misunderstood. All too often it's seen solely as the science of conflict and greed. In fact, this field has a lot to teach us about how to make a better world. It shows us just what it takes to enable cooperation and mutual benefit.
This essential primer presents twenty one 'life lessons from game theory', which illustrate the key ideas in the field, and which are packed with real world examples: from overfishing in the Atlantic; to the Cuban Missile Crisis; to security measures at international airports; to advertising wars between major brands. This is a hopeful and practical book that highlights the value of game theory and provides a course correction for its integration into the real world.
GUARDIAN
'This book is simply brilliant . . . I learned so much'
SIR DAVID SPIEGELHALTER, UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
'Fresh, clever and playful'
MATT RIDLEY, AUTHOR OF THE ORIGINS OF VIRTUE
'Michael explains the complex, strategic structures of our world with masterful beauty'
MILIND TAMBE, HARVARD UNIVERSITY
'Effortlessly covers a broad swath of core ideas in game theory, with a sprinkle of British humour'
EDITH ELKIND, NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
'A wonderful book'
YOAV SHOHAM, STANFORD UNIVERSITY
______
A fascinating deep-dive into game theory, its history and its practical applications by award-winning expert on computer science and artificial intelligence.
Most of us have some idea about game theory. Concepts like zero-sum games and the prisoner's dilemma crop up in films, novels and casual conversation, often as shorthand for cut-throat competition or inevitable betrayal. But game theory, the science behind these ideas, is widely misunderstood. All too often it's seen solely as the science of conflict and greed. In fact, this field has a lot to teach us about how to make a better world. It shows us just what it takes to enable cooperation and mutual benefit.
This essential primer presents twenty one 'life lessons from game theory', which illustrate the key ideas in the field, and which are packed with real world examples: from overfishing in the Atlantic; to the Cuban Missile Crisis; to security measures at international airports; to advertising wars between major brands. This is a hopeful and practical book that highlights the value of game theory and provides a course correction for its integration into the real world.
'Wooldridge is like the teacher you wish you'd had'
GUARDIAN
'This book is simply brilliant . . . I learned so much'
SIR DAVID SPIEGELHALTER, UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
'Fresh, clever and playful'
MATT RIDLEY, AUTHOR OF THE ORIGINS OF VIRTUE
'Michael explains the complex, strategic structures of ...
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About the author
Michael Wooldridge is a Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Oxford, where he uses game theory to understand how to build AI agents that can cooperate with each other. He has won national and international awards for research, science communication and scientific leadership. He presented the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures in 2023 and is the author of Artificial Intelligence (2018), part of the Ladybird Expert series, and The Road to Conscious Machines, which was published by Pelican in 2020.
Michael Wooldridge is a Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Oxford, where he uses game theory to understand how to build AI agents that can cooperate with each other. He has won national and international awards for research, science communication and scientific leadership. ...
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