Daniel Kahneman, Nobel Prize Winner, Dies at 90

Daniel Kahneman, born on March 5, 1934, in Tel Aviv, recently passed away at the age of 90. His family, originally from Lithuania, had emigrated to France and later moved to Palestine after World War II. Kahneman received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 1954 and his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley in 1961.

Work in Behavioral Economics and Nobel Prize

Kahneman, along with his collaborator Amos Tversky, pioneered the field of behavioural economics. Their groundbreaking research challenged traditional economic approaches, arguing that people are not always fully rational and self-interested, and that mental biases can distort their judgments. This work earned Kahneman the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 2002.

Academic Career and Legacy

After teaching at the Hebrew University, Kahneman moved to Princeton University in 1993, where he served as a psychology professor and taught at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. His work has had a profound impact on various social sciences, with Harvard University professor Steven Pinker describing him as “the world’s most influential living psychologist” and his contributions as “monumental in the history of thought.”

Important Facts

• Kahneman was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 2002 for his research in psychology and economics. He challenged traditional economic approaches, arguing that people are not always fully rational and self-interested, and that mental biases can distort their judgments.
• Kahneman taught at the Hebrew University before moving to Princeton University in 1993, where he served as a psychology professor and taught at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.
• He collaborated with Amos Tversky for over a decade on his Nobel Prize-winning work, describing their joint mind as “better than our separate minds.”
• Harvard University professor Steven Pinker described Kahneman as “the world’s most influential living psychologist” and his work as “monumental in the history of thought.”
• Kahneman’s family lived in France during World War II, where his father, a Jewish chemist, was arrested because of his religion and later released.
• In a 2012 interview, Kahneman emphasized the human tendency to tell the best story possible, even when there is much that remains unknown.

Kahneman’s work has had a profound impact on various social sciences, revolutionizing the understanding of human decision-making and judgment.

Month: Current Affairs - March, 2024

Category: Awards, Honours & Persons in News