They were driven by a primary question: When human beings make decisions, what are they actually doing? By developing their theory on heuristics, or mental rules of thumb that the human mind often resorts to, they sought to advance the field of behavioral psychology and economics and to provide a profound glimpse into human nature. Together they published a vast array of papers, each one focused on a different side of the multifaceted prism of human judgment and decision making. Kahneman, a Holocaust survivor, and Tversky, a decorated paratrooper, both eventually moved to the United States, where many of their shared ideas flourished. Both Kahneman and Tversky had a deeply rooted desire to serve their country, to be useful in some real and practical manner to a nation wrapped up in war and constantly thrown into the international spotlight. Their bond was strengthened by each man’s commitment to their native Israel, and their national identities were inextricably linked to their professional motivations. Their collaborative friendship was often compared to a marriage, and its eventual collapse felt far more like a divorce than a professional dissolution or courteous parting of ways. This is a book about a complex collaboration between two brilliant men: Kahneman, the insecure and self-doubting loner, and Tversky, the charismatic and magnetic extrovert.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |