What Begins With 'S'? Stags, Stagflation, Stagnate.

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In addition to the example suggested by Rouseau, David Hume provides a series of examples that are Stag Hunts. One example addresses two individuals who must row a boat. If both choose to row they can successfully move the boat. However, if one doesn't the other wastes his effort. Hume's second example involves two neighbors wishing to drain a meadow. If they both work to drain it they will be successful, but if either fails to do his part the meadow will not be drained.

There are several animal behaviors that have been described as Stag Hunts. For example, the coordination of slime molds. In times of stress, individual bacteria will aggregate to form one large body. Here if they all act together they can successfully reproduce, however the success depends on the cooperation of many bacteria. Also, the hunting practices of orca (known as carousel feeding) are an example of a Stag Hunt. Here orcas cooperatively corral large schools of fish to the surface and stun them by hitting them with their tails. Since this requires that fish not have any mechanism for escape, it requires the cooperation of many orcas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stag_hunt

http://www.lps.uci.edu/home/fac-staff/faculty/skyrms/StagHunt.pdf