Sun Tzu: "All warfare is based on deception."

· Bits and Bobs 3/30/26
  • Sun Tzu: "All warfare is based on deception."
    • That seems like a loaded way of describing information asymmetry.
      • It could excuse antisocial behavior.
    • Information must be asymmetric, because actors must have boundaries that reveal some information and not others, because otherwise it would be cacophonous goop where nothing in the world could cohere.
    • But that also means there must be some information asymmetry, which then must be relevant to the game theory.
    • But calling it "deception" gives a moral valence to it that isn't necessarily warranted, because that information asymmetry can have many different flavors:
      • Deliberately deceiving.
        • Wielded as an antisocial weapon.
      • Deceiving through omission.
        • Allowing the counterparty to incorrectly come to the wrong conclusion on their own.
      • Accidentally omitting important facts.
        • If you didn't realize your counterparty didn't already know a relevant fact you know.