HAMURABI.BAS and Its Dystopian Lessons | Hacker News Reader

HAMURABI.BAS and Its Dystopian Lessons

jeffquast.com

32 pointsBluestein3 comments

> The strategies revealed some surprising financial and political lessons, probably antithetical to its original purpose as an educational game for sixth graders.

Or, maybe not. These days ...

(They ought be reading Machiavelli. Way things are going ...)

  PS. In all honesty the downvote gives 
  me hope Machiavelli is well read enough still, for somebody 
  to still remember who she was.-

> Political lesson: You will be remembered for only the actions of the years you are in office, not by the consequences left to your successor.

Like: Print money; make people feel rich; time the lagged "Cantillon wave" of inflation to hit your successor.

Maybe that's one reason for:

> Financial lesson: All but your emergency fund should be invested.

Now, this next one feels a bit tinfoil-hattish, but who knows:

> Political lesson: Bioweapons are surprisingly effective at increasing the wealth of the remaining population.

...

I'd be curious to know how a modern MCTS/RL system would do on this tiny example. What strategy is truly optimal?

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