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The central question posed in this book is: If there existed a superior being who possessed the supernatural qualities of omniscience, omnipotence, immortality, and incomprehensibility, how would he/she act differently from us? The mathematical theory of games is used to define each of these qualities, and different assumptions about the rules of play in several theological games that might be played between ordinary human beings and superior beings like God are posited. Implications of these definitions and assumptions are developed and used to explore such questions as: are God's superior powers compatible with human free will? Can they be reconciled with the problem of evil in the world? In what situation is God's existence "decidable" in gamelike relationships He migh have with us? By endowing omniscience/omnipotence/immortality/incomprehensibility with unambiguous meanings, the author shows how game theory can help breathe life into questions that have been dismissed too quickly simply because they are metaphysical--outside the world of experience. Thereby he clarifies the structure of our thought about an ultimate reality, whether or not it is viewed as religious. Reviews from the first edition: "[Brams's] arguments, some of them quite complicated, are presented clearly and enough background information is given to enable the non-expert in game theory to follow what is going on." - H.N.V. Temperley, Nature (March, 1984) "Superior Beings is an extraordinary book... He [Brams] uses strikingly simple models and generally transparent logic to make some surprising inferences about superiority. His inquiry is carried out with great inventiveness and care, and his book is highly recommended to those interested in religion, philosophy, and the contribution of logical analysis." - D. Marc Kilgur, American Scientist (1984) "Brams has performed a service in deominstrating that rational analysis need not stop where issues involving faith and emotion begin." - Peter Bennett, New Scientist (1 March, 1984) "Does game-theoretic theory exist? This book is a fresh partial answer, modestly phrased and interestingly written. Readers will enjoy it and learn from it whether or not the believe in either God or von Neumann." - Dr. Paul R. Halmos, Indiana University "Professor Brams has boldly invaded an unexplored region where modern game theory and decision theory find applications to monotheistic theology. His carefully constructed arguments would have perplexed Maimonides, Aquinas, Luther, or the great Muslim thinkers... But it is hard to see how they can be ignored by contemporary theologians." - Martin Gardener "[Brams's] work can be highly recommended as collateral reading for introductory courses on mathematical modeling in the social, managerial and decision science-now perhaps even in theology." - William F. Lucas, American Mathematical Monthly (January, 1987).… (more)
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"Superior being" seems to be a deliberate weakening of the "supreme being" used in Western theological parlance. Brams is interested in modeling relations with a being whose powers and horizons immeasurably exceed the human, but he is not concerned with the traditional and trivial paradoxes of rigorous omnipotence. By positing an SB that submits to the calculus of the games in this book, he suggests that the answer to the question "Could God create a rock so big that He couldn't lift it?" is certainly yes. And he accurately points out the fact that some passages of the Bible indicate a God of vast but finite power.
Still, the dependence on biblical notions of divine behavior is awfully limiting for anyone with a genuine philosophical interest in "superior beings." The author seems to admit as much when he refers to a game schematic "which seems to offer a generic representation of God's retribution in the Bible -- and maybe elsewhere" (139). (Even so, the notion of the Biblical God as the national genius of the Hebrews makes these game representations reasonable on a certain level.) Brams does provide some interesting challenges to Pascal's Wager, and he concludes with a novel perspective on the Problem of Evil.
The book is also an engaging introduction to the mathematical techniques involved in game theory analyses. Brams presumes no prior experience in game theory on the reader's part, and provides a rich context for examining these logical tools.