Demonstrates how a third-party can harness strategic thinking to
make inferences about player identities or motivations; based on
Brams. 2003. Biblical games: game theory and the Hebrew Bible.
In Chapter 3 of the First Book of Kings, two women stand before
King Solomon. Both claim to be the mother of a baby boy (one is
the mother and one is the mother of a dead baby; both women live
in the same house). King Solomon proposes a solution: "Cut the
live child in two, and give half to one and half to the other (1
Kgs. 3:25)." Why is King Solomon widely regarded as a wise man,
rather than an insane despot? Because he thought about the
incentives the two women faced and structured a game that
reveals the women's identities through their actions. The King
assumes that the women care both about the baby and winning
Solomon's favor, but the real mother cares more about the baby
and the imposter cares more about winning Solomon's favor. Both
women can either oppose the King's solution or not oppose it. If
both oppose th