The Machiavellian take on charity

game theory of anonymous good deeds

Giving charitably of your time and/or money is almost always admirable, but it isn’t necessarily selfless. Don’t get me wrong, most of the time charity is offered in the spirit of, well, charity… love of humankind and all that jazz. 

On the other hand, we all know people who write the fat check to the widows and orphans fund just so that everyone knows h…