In a recent article in the Journal of Theoretical Biology, two mathematicians and a physicist use a mathematical model show how the "destructive agents" (which they aptly call "Jokers") can help people avoid the tragedy of the commons. What's the tragedy of the the commons? It's when people try to make the world a better place, but doing so is costly. Free-riders can enjoy the benefits of a better world without paying the costs of helping to create it. So free-riders out-compete everyone else, and all are the worse for it.
The Nash equilibrium concept is part of game theory. Essentially, game theory thinks about social interactions as a game where people can choose from a bunch of different strategies. A Nash equilibrium happens when each player in the game of life chooses a strategy that is the best response to everyone else's strategy. An example is the game Rock, Paper, Scissors, where the best strategy is to randomly choose to play rock, paper, or scissors. If you deviate from the best strategy, you don't do as well in the game. And people always want to win the game, right?
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