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During the trench warfare of World War I: peace broke out.
It was Christmas 1914. Despite strict orders not to "fraternize with the enemy", British and German soldiers left their trenches, crossed No Man's Land, and gathered together to bury their dead, exchange gifts, and sing. The Christmas Truce was unusual, but not unique! Long before Christmas, soldiers in trenches had already created an unspoken system of "live and let live" – a small peace in a Great War.
. . .
The West has now been at peace for decades, and people hate each other more than ever. Political polarization in the US is at its highest since the Civil War. And since 1970, people have been losing trust in government, organized religion, mass media, and other people.
So here's our two-parter question:
Why, in times like now, do friends become enemies? And why, in times like 1914, do enemies become friends?
It's a complex question, but a simple idea from the field of game theory can shed a lot of light. So, to understand our epidemic of distrust...
...let's play a game.