Tag Archives: R. Duncan Luce

Martin Shubik on the Flavors of Game Theory

Shubik, left, circa 1967

Shubik, left, circa 1967

Beatrice Cherrier has asked me to put together a post on Martin Shubik’s informal tripartite classification of work in game theory:

  • High church
  • Low church
  • Conversational

Shubik discussed this classification in two retrospective, reflective articles:

Neither article is exactly what you would call philosophical. They belong to the ill-organized, often repetitious genre of commentary addressing 1) the epistemological status of formal modeling, and 2) the always-dicey relationship between theory development and practical application. Beatrice, I should note, is something of a connoisseuse of this important, under-respected literature, at least as it pertains to economics. Follow her on Twitter for occasional dispatches from its labyrinths.

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