Brian Skyrms

Brian Skyrms (born 1938) is an American philosopher and a distinguished professor at the University of California, Irvine, holding joint appointments in Logic and Philosophy of Science and Economics. He also holds a professorship at Stanford University. Skyrms's academic career began after graduating from Lehigh University in 1960 and earning his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh in 1964. He taught at several universities before joining the University of Illinois, Chicago, from 1968 to 1980. Since 1980, he has been at the University of California, Irvine. His scholarly contributions span a wide range of fields, including causation, decision theory, game theory, and the foundations of probability. More recently, his work has centered on the evolution of social norms, employing evolutionary game theory. His books, such as "Evolution of the Social Contract" and "The Stag Hunt," explore topics relevant to political philosophy, philosophy of social science, philosophy of language, and philosophy of biology, using arguments and examples from evolutionary game theory. Skyrms is recognized for his significant achievements, being a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and one of only two living philosophers elected as a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences. His work on the 'cake partition' game, demonstrating that the only evolutionarily stable strategy is demanding 50% of the cake, is a notable example of his contributions.