The Prisoner's Dilemma illustrates a paradox in decision-making where two individuals, each acting in their own self-interest, end up with a worse outcome than if they had cooperated-highlighting the conflict between personal gain and collective benefit. For example, in the classic scenario, two suspects are interrogated separately: if both stay silent, they receive light sentences, but if each betrays the other to reduce their own punishment, both end up with harsher sentences.
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