Chapter 1: Micromotives and Macrobehavior Summary and Analysis

Thomas Schelling takes the reader through an extensive exercise in seat selection by audience members. He begins with a lecture he gives to an audience of 800. However, when backstage Schelling he can see the first few rows of the auditorium. The rows are empty and Schelling assumes that no one came. However, he still goes through the paces, is introduced and enters the stage. Once reaching the podium, Schelling now sees that the first 12 rows are empty but those beyond that are packed.

Schelling uses this experience which illustrates "spatial distribution" to explain on of the basics of micromotives and macrobehaviors. Some examples in this simplistic example are familiar to anyone who ever entered at lecture at an auditorium and had to decide where to sit. Although the internal process one goes through in this...