non-zero-sum
Everyone can win
Non-zero-sum describes situations where gains and losses don't balance out—where all parties can win together or lose together.
In a zero-sum game, one person's gain is another's loss.
Non-zero-sum recognizes that cooperation can create value: Trade is non-zero-sum because both buyer and seller benefit.
The term comes from game theory but appears broadly in discussions of economics, diplomacy, and relationships.
Advantageous to both sides
- collaborationJoint intellectual work
- partnershipShared business arrangement
- synergyCombined effect exceeding components
- reciprocityMutual exchange of actions
trust · alliance · teamwork · compromise · negotiation · diplomacy · empathy · interdependence
Greatest-happiness moral theory
- altruismPrioritizing others' wellbeing
- consequentialismEthics judging by results
- cosmopolitanismBelief in shared humanity
- ubuntuShared humanity ethic
interconnectedness · commons · mutualism · symbiosis · holism · emergence · complexity
Exchange of commodities
- exchangeMutual giving and receiving
- surplusAmount exceeding requirement
- efficiencyProductive without waste
- marketVenue for trade
cooperation · prosperity · growth · free-market · incentives · negotiation · transaction · commerce
Planned approach to goals
- coalitionTemporary alliance for action
- bargainingNegotiating mutually acceptable terms
- tit-for-tatEquivalent retaliation strategy
- coordinationOrganized cooperative movement
win-win
Advantageous to both sides
- collaborationJoint intellectual work
- partnershipShared business arrangement
- synergyCombined effect exceeding components
reciprocity · trust · alliance · teamwork · compromise · negotiation · diplomacy · empathy · interdependence · collective
utilitarianism
Greatest-happiness moral theory
- altruismPrioritizing others' wellbeing
- consequentialismEthics judging by results
- cosmopolitanismBelief in shared humanity
ubuntu · interconnectedness · commons · mutualism · symbiosis · holism · emergence · complexity
trade
Exchange of commodities
- exchangeMutual giving and receiving
- surplusAmount exceeding requirement
- efficiencyProductive without waste
market · cooperation · prosperity · growth · free-market · incentives · negotiation · transaction · commerce · investment
strategy
Planned approach to goals
- coalitionTemporary alliance for action
- bargainingNegotiating mutually acceptable terms
- tit-for-tatEquivalent retaliation strategy
Axelrod · coordination · utility · signaling · minimax
- game theoryprisoners dilemma, minimax, payoff, equilibrium, cooperative games
- strategystrategy, grand strategy, tactics, tactic, tactical
non-zero-sumzero-sum
Balanced gains and losses
winner-takes-all · winner-take-all · redistributive · closed system
non-zero-sumzero-sum
Balanced gains and losses
winner-take-all · win-lose · cutthroat · adversarial · dog-eat-dog
non, zero, sum, zeros, sums, summed, summing, summation, zeroed