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Derek Best has contributed to several publications, including Macleans Magazine Canada, and Omni Magazine, USA. He is has also produced many documentary films for Television. For many years, he has been interested in A Course in Miracles, a metaphysical thought system, and maintains the official website for that organization. "ACIM", he says "is central to my personal way of seeing the world." This site is strictly personal however. Derek has an eclectic range of interests, and writes about them here as the mood strikes him.

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Who gets what?

©photo copyright Disney Corp.
This little puzzle was part of an economics course. It's supposed to teach something about game-strategy. I guess it does. First of all, can you solve it? It's not too hard. Leave your answer in a comment. Second: what ACIM principle does it demonstrate?

Mickey and Goofy have $100 to divide between them. Donald is there also, but just to help.
Mickey will propose a division of the money to Goofy.

Goofy can accept or reject the proposal. If he accepts, they split it, and that's the end of it.
If Goofy rejects it, Donald will take away $10, leaving $90. It is then Goofy's turn to make an offer to Mickey, about how they should split the $90.
If Mickey accepts Goofy's proposal, they split the $90, and that's the end of it.
If Mickey rejects Goofy's proposal, then Donald takes away another $20. This will leave $70.
At this point Mickey and Goofy will each get $35. This will end it.

How will this end? Who will get how much? Why? What proposal should each make?

13 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mickey and Goofy should just split it 50/50. Course principal---Mickey and Goofy have like minds.

9:04 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I don't know who should get what or how it will end, (maybe they should call up Minnie and give all the money to her) but how about lesson 133:

If you choose to take a thing away from someone else, you will have nothing left. This is because, when you deny his right to everything you have denied your own.

9:24 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Derek. Interesitng site. I dont know about ACIM but as far as splitting the money goes, why wouldnt Mickey just offer a 50-50 split? If he doesnt then they lose some money right away, so its in their interest to prevent that before it happens. Thats what I would do. :-)

10:10 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

50-50 won't work 'cos Goofy can just say no, then he can offer Mickey a small sum and keep the lions share himself. AAs long as he offers Mickey more than $35 Mickey would be crazy not to accept.

3:48 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mickey's offer to Goofy is rejected. Then Goofey offers Mickey $36-$39 dollars depending on his greed factor. Mickey should in turn take any offer in this range because it is better than the $35 he will otherwise get. Goofy ends up with $51-$54. Not playing nice but puts more points on the board than a 50/50 split.

11:08 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well, if Goofy doesn't take the $50 right off, his only viable counter offers would be the sum of $36 to $39 back to Mickey (more than the $50 for Goofy, himself [which he just refused], and more than the minimum due to Mickey ($35) if Mickey chooses to refuse. After the slap in the face to Mickey for being refused a fair trade fore the sum of 1-4% more, MIckey would more than likely refuse that deal and they'd both go away with $35.

So the most probable answers, in my opinion, is either 50/50 or 35/35

11:25 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am not well-versed in ACIM on more than an extremely casual understanding of the philosophies.

I also have only an instinctive grasp of most economic points.

My basic logic states to me the first and only offer should be a 50/50 split.

this is due to a sense of fair play (on my part) and the rules of the puzzle state diminishing returns (down to $35 after two offers).

If Goofy declines the offer, this means that he's greedy and wants more than fifty dollars. This would mean that his counter offer would would have to be $36 to $39 in order for him to have more than $50, but to assure that MIckey gets at least more than the minimum of $35.

Now if I were Mickey, and I had just offered an even split that was rejected out of greed, it would be more prudent to forego the possible extra money of $1-4 to penalize Goofy for his greed.

Victor

11:31 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The puzzle will end with Donald taking all the money, because he knows that Mickey and Goofy are too dumb to know any better……

Hey wait, that’s not right….the three of them will split the money equally, that is $33.33 because Donald will get 30 if there is no agreement, and Goofy and Mickey will get 35 each. To make things equal and show equanimity and being the good friends that they are, (altruism), this is what they agree on…(what is the difference of $1.66 anyway) after all they are extremely smart like you!

12:49 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yo, Derek, post the answer!

12:44 PM  
Blogger Derek said...

Some people came quite close to the solution. Remember this is a game theory question, meaning -- how to play the game to maximize your own position. It has nothing to do with charity or sharing. This is the correct answer ....

Mickey and Goofy both know the worst case is $35 each if they both refuse all offers.

So neither would at any time offer the other less than $35, nor would either accept less.

Mickey's initial inclination might be to offer Goofy $35.01, and keep $64.99.

But Goofy knows that by refusing this offer, the amount will be reduced to $90, and he could then make an offer to Mickey of $35.01 and keep $54.99 for himself. The $35.01 is more than Mickey would get if he refused, so Mickey would be forced to accept.

But Mickey could foresee this and maximize his own share by offering Goofy one cent more than $54.99 -- $55.00 and keeping only $45.00 for himself.

So the best strategy is for Mickey to offer Goofy $55.00 and be satisfied with keeping $45.00 If he doesn't, they will both get less.

The COurse principle demonstrated of course is that of scarcity. The basis of economics is the management of scarcity, which from a Course point of view is an illusion.

2:57 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It was awazing for me to know that there is only one logical answer for this question. Likewise I am always amazed by the answers that Derek posts for "Weely Questions and Answers about A Course in Miracles." After reading it, I always think that this is the only logical answer ever possible. If this logic is applied to every moment of our reality, it would be possible to have the only possible answer at any moment in time.

I deeply respect Derek's work on Course in Miracles.

8:41 PM  
Blogger Derek said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

10:18 PM  
Blogger Derek said...

Lots of people seem to think I write all the answers on the Q&A website, but it ain't so. I'm just the bloke who dreamed
up the site and persuaded my friends at the Foundation for ACIM to contribute the content. I check and format the materials weekly, and publish them to the site. I do write opinions about ACIM in this blog, but only occasionally... there are quite enough amateurs spouting quite enough nonsense already.

Nonetheless, thanks for your very kind remarks.

10:28 PM  

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