I think there are multiple kinds of attacks, which matter in this matrix. Destruction/stability is a different continuum from take control of resources/preserve control of resources.
I also think there’s no stasis—the state of accessible resources (heat gradients, in the end) in the universe will always be shifting until it’s truly over. There may be multi-millenea equilibria, where it feels like stasis on a sufficiently-abstract level, but there’s still lots of change. As a test of this intuition, the Earth has been static for millions of years, and then there was a shift when it started emitting patterned EM radiation, which has been static (though changing in complexity and intensity) for 150 years or so.
I agree with Daniel, as well, that coordination and attack-to-control leads to singleton (winner takes all). I think coordination and attack-to-destroy may lead to singleton, or may lead to cyclic destruction back to pre-coordination levels. Defense and coordination is kind of hard to define—perfect cooperation is a singleton, right? But then there’s neither attack nor defense. I kind of hope defense and coordination leads to independence and trade, but I doubt it’s stable—eventually the better producer gets enough strength that attack becomes attractive.
Shouldn’t the singleton outcome be in the bottom right quadrant? If attack is easy but so is coordination, the only stable solution is one where there is only one entity (and thus no one to attack or be attacked.) If by contrast defense is easier, we could end up in a stable multipolar outcome… at least until coordination between those parties happen. Maybe singleton outcome happens in both coordination-is-easy scenarios.
Two-by-two for possibly important aspects of reality and related end-states:
I think there are multiple kinds of attacks, which matter in this matrix. Destruction/stability is a different continuum from take control of resources/preserve control of resources.
I also think there’s no stasis—the state of accessible resources (heat gradients, in the end) in the universe will always be shifting until it’s truly over. There may be multi-millenea equilibria, where it feels like stasis on a sufficiently-abstract level, but there’s still lots of change. As a test of this intuition, the Earth has been static for millions of years, and then there was a shift when it started emitting patterned EM radiation, which has been static (though changing in complexity and intensity) for 150 years or so.
I agree with Daniel, as well, that coordination and attack-to-control leads to singleton (winner takes all). I think coordination and attack-to-destroy may lead to singleton, or may lead to cyclic destruction back to pre-coordination levels. Defense and coordination is kind of hard to define—perfect cooperation is a singleton, right? But then there’s neither attack nor defense. I kind of hope defense and coordination leads to independence and trade, but I doubt it’s stable—eventually the better producer gets enough strength that attack becomes attractive.
Shouldn’t the singleton outcome be in the bottom right quadrant? If attack is easy but so is coordination, the only stable solution is one where there is only one entity (and thus no one to attack or be attacked.) If by contrast defense is easier, we could end up in a stable multipolar outcome… at least until coordination between those parties happen. Maybe singleton outcome happens in both coordination-is-easy scenarios.