Learning to Disagree: Rational Agents and Persistent Polarization

Watch a thought-provoking lecture from the Institute for Pure & Applied Mathematics' Modeling Multi-Scale Collective Intelligences Workshop where Richard Mann from the University of Leeds explores why rational agents persist in disagreement despite having access to shared information. Examine Aumann's agreement theorem and its implications for belief exchange between rational agents, while discovering how differing preferences and misperceptions about others' goals can lead to sustained polarization. Delve into a mathematical model that demonstrates how rational individuals can maintain opposing viewpoints when they believe their underlying preferences differ, even when discussing purely factual matters.