William Poundstone, the author of Prisoner's Dilemma, is an American author who has written several books on scientific topics. Although this is a book at least partially about game theory, it is clear that the author has a broader interest in the topic than just the mathematics of game theory or the lives of those who developed it. He is interested in the way that game theory views the world and the way that the particular lens of game theory, which sees the world as a series of amoral conflicts, has affected the actual world.