Prisoners’ Dilemma focuses on the concept of cooperation. Based on a classic scenario, it explores notions of trust and loyalty; betrayal and defection. Two men are arrested. The police want to charge one of them with a serious crime but they have no firm evidence against either of them. So they try to get one to accuse the other of the crime. They do this by threatening each man in turn with imprisonment if they do not cooperate. The dilemma for each prisoner is should they inform on their friend and avoid jail or should they resist and stay loyal; self-interest and betrayal or loyalty and sacrifice. The prisoners must make a choice, a choice that may affect them for the rest of their lives.

Prisoner’s Dilemma provides the theme for this training package, designed to provide a starting point for an exploration of one of the core dilemmas of the human condition: to what extent is our humanity defined by our ability to transcend self-interest and put the common interests of society above our own. At the heart of this dilemma is the goal of cooperation and how it can contribute to the avoidance and resolution of conflict and the promotion of a peaceful, collaborative society.

For educational use with groups.