THEORY OF GAMES, 1944

[James A. Landau]

In a message dated 4/9/01 12:01:40 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
t.paikeday at SYMPATICO.CA writes:

> In discussing who used "game theory" first, I think we should give prior
> consideration to who first used "theory of games." The question is, is
> "game theory" lexically different from "theory of games"?
 
As a semi-pro mathemtician, I can state flatly that I an aware of no lexical
difference whatsoever between
    "theory of games" and "game theory"
    "theory of numbers" and "number theory"
    "theoy of sets" and "set theory"
    "theory of probability" and "probability theory"

> I think the canonical form in compounds of this type
> should be the linguistically original form.

If you wish to make generalizations about A of B versus B A forms in English, 
I
would advise you to stay away from mathematics, for a simple reason.  

>From the post-Napoleonic era until the Nazi takeover of Germany, the leading 
mathematical language (that is, the language in which more papers of 
importance
were published) was German, with French in second place.  English was at beast
tied for third with Italian.  All four of the examples I give above arrived 
in English 
as translations from German or French.  Would you consider your canonical form
to be the one in English or the German or French form from which it was 
translated?

"Theory of Games" is especially slippery.  von Neumann was originally 
Hungarian
although most of his college studies were in Germany or Switzerland, and he 
came
to the United States in 1930.  Morgenstern was Austrian (although he held 
dual 
Austrian and Prussian citizenship) and he came to the US in 1938.  Their 
collaboration
began circa 1935, when Morgenstern was still in Austria.  Neither was a native
speaker of English.

Note the title "Theory of Games and Economic Behavior."  That can be 
interpreted as
"Theory of both games and economic behavior" rather than "game theory and 
economic 
behavior", i.e. the word "Theory" applies to both "games" and "economic 
behavior."
In that case, the phrase "game theory" cannot be used without changing the 
meaning 
of the title.  

> If we scan through Von Neumann & Morgenstein's 1944 book _Theory of
> Games and Economic Behavior,_ we may hopefully find an instance or two
> of "game theory," used for what Fowler called "elegant variation."
> Perhaps Von Neumann's 1928 article on parlor games used "game theory."
> Or ask von Neumann or Morenstein themselves if they are still alive.

von Neumann's 1928 article was in German and was entitled 
"Zur Theorie der Gesellschaftsspiele".  The last word can be translated
"parlor games".  For some reason unknown to me the authors chose to
use a less-than-verbatim equivalent of  "Gesellschaftsspiele".  Perhaps
they went back to the title of Borel's 1921 paper "La théorie du jeu 
et les équations intégrales à noyau symétrique."

Incidentally, Morgenstern writing in German in 1948 and in 1963 used 
"Spieltheorie"
(see below).

Oskar Morgenstern  24 January 1902 to 26 July 1977
John (originally Johann) von Neumann 28 December 1903 to 8 February 1957

Morgenstern's collected papers at Duke University (see URL
http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/dynaweb/findaids/morgenst/)
include the following:

"Economics and the Theory of Games", 1949
"Game Theory," Dictionary of the History of Ideas, 1973: 1961-1973 (2 
folders)  
"Game Theory" Addenda for International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 
1968-1975  
"Game Theory" and "John von Neumann" for International Encyclopedia of the 
Social Sciences, 1963-1966, n.d.  
Game Theory Article Addition for Encyclopedia of Statistics, 1975: 1974-1977 
"Oligopoly, Competition and the Theory of Games," 1947
"Sociology and the Theory of Games," 1952: 1951-1952, n.d. 
Spieltheorie und Wirtschaftswissenschaft, 1963: 1964-1965 
"A Study of Power Based on the Theory of Games of Strategy," n.d. 
"Die Theorie der Spiele und des Wirtschaftlichen Verhaltens," 1950: 
1950-1951, n.d.  
Theory of Games and Economic Behavior: Publication, etc., 1973-1974, n.d.  
"Theory of Games and Economic Behavior," 1948, for Scientific American  
Borch, Karl: "The Monster in Loch Ness," 1976 
Kemeny, John G., "Game-Theoretic Solution of an Economic Problem," 1956 
Certificate of Dual Austrian and Prussian Citizenship, 1925 
Spieltheorie und Wirtschafts Theorie, 1948; 1963 
Studies in Game Theory, 1975 

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In a message dated 4/9/01 12:40:02 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
t.irons at MOREHEAD-ST.EDU writes:

> If we go this route,  theory of games may be traced to Pascal's
> correspondence with Fermat (1654), in French of course, but tranlated into
> English by at least 1894 (Tannery & Henry, Gauthier-Villars et fils). 

I am aware that Pascal and Fermat studied games of chance, but I was 
under the impression their work is considered to be part of "theory of 
probability" rather than "theory of games".  I would be interested in
hearing anything to the contrary.

       - Jim Landau