Game Theory as a Tool for Moral Philosophy; a Historical Explication and a Critical Analysis

Moral philosophy is an inquiry about the correctness/wrongness and permissibility/impermissibility of actions, or an inquiry about the arguments beyond our moral beliefs. One of the important areas of recalling moral beliefs or understanding right and wrong actions is the realm of humans’ interactive behaviors. So it seems plausible that “game theory”, as the study of the process and outcome of individuals’ interactions, should have the capacity to be philosophically and ethically investigated. This paper tries to, first, investigate the effect of “some ideas and models in game theory” on “some ideas and theories in moral philosophy and justice studies”, and then critically analyze the validity and fruitfulness of such effects. Research method in the first part is based on the historical studies performed since 1940. The presented critical evaluation is in the form of a theoretical analysis. The findings suggest that some innovations in the game theory have been effective on some ideas and theories in moral philosophy and justice studies. The critical examination of the analytical framework of ideas and theories based on game theory approach shows the shortcomings and difficulties in taking advantage of game theory as a tool for moral philosophy.