Exit the Prisoner's Dilemma

Author: Zheng Yefu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: China Youth Press has recently published four works of Zheng Yefu under the general title "Series of Sociologist Zheng Yefu's Works." Except for The Prisoner's Dilemma, which is a reprint of an old work, the other three books—Notes on Reading Biology, Research on Intellectuals, and Voices of Passive Smokers—are published for the first time. These collections clearly present the expansion and evolution of the author's academic research fields: from early studies on intellectuals to explorations of trust issues, and then to recent readings in biology. The major feature of these series articles is their strong realistic critique. For example, in the article Critique of Car Civilization, the author poses such questions: "Is car civilization truly a blessing for human transportation?" and "Are those who pursue cars driven by vanity or the convenience of social life?" The author argues that the tide of private cars brings increasingly severe traffic congestion and that car civilization is a rare historical trend of disaster, "created by merchants and the wealthy for profit and display of wealth." The article Reflect on Happiness, Critique of Consumption, included in the book, is a speech by the author at Renmin University, where he criticizes the widespread "exhibitionist" consumption in society. The content of these works also addresses concerns about China's trust crisis, skepticism toward the housing system and social science fund system, and reflects the author's humanistic concern for social progress. This is a famous topic that describes two criminals being detained separately as suspects, waiting for interrogation. Due to their inability to communicate, they find it difficult to make a mutually optimal choice. This example has spread rapidly and has almost become one of the greatest allegories of modern society, as similar dilemmas are commonplace around us.