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Vaishnavi Ram Mohan

May 29th, 2014

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER CELEB (well, sort of…)

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Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Vaishnavi Ram Mohan

May 29th, 2014

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER CELEB (well, sort of…)

0 comments

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

I am acutely conscious as I write this that it is exam season; ergo any moment not spent poring feverishly over stacks of reading material is considered a moment squandered. Still, I plunge on, in the hope that you will squander a few minutes to read on about another wonderful talk that I recently attended.

On 21st May, Prof. Gerd Gigerenzer delivered a public lecture at the Old Building titled Risk Savvy: How to Make Good Decisions. This was of supreme importance to me, because one of my optional courses was on Organisational and Social Decision-Making, and we drew extensively upon Prof. Gigerenzer’s work in both our lectures and for our essays. The chance to meet the celebrated author and scholar whose works I’d been reading for months was extremely exciting, and the talk itself did not disappoint. Gigerenzer started things off with a really powerful opening statement:

He then went on to debunk several myths, especially about excessive trust in statistics and systems. His main argument was that in a 21st century technological society, risk literacy is necessary. We can all be risk savvy, and are very much capable of making decisions without being nudged. Above all, he distinguished between risk and uncertainty, and the need to view experts as part of a problem rather than as a solution.

What really stood out for me was Prof. Gigerenzer’s consummate skill at communicating his point concisely, yet effectively. You could easily see that there was tons of material on the subject and that his arguments were based on a solid wealth of scientific research, yet his arguments never strayed into the abstract or the vague. Bayesian statistics and complex models were eschewed for clear, tangible examples that in no way missed out on the deeper theoretical perspectives. It is often said of psychologists that we make our research inaccessible to the public by shrouding it in unwarranted complexity; Prof. Gigerenzer certainly kept it simple.

Another highly refreshing aspect, was for me, the incisive and open way in which Prof. Gigerenzer delivered the lecture. His critique was simultaneously ferocious and refined, and he certainly took no prisoners when pointing out flaws in the banking systems and the NHS. And of course, all of us behavioural economics and psychology aficionados were thrilled by the several veiled references and critiques of Daniel Kahneman’s work. It’s not every day that you hear Nobel-prize winning scientists criticised, after all! I confess, the callow tabloid writer in me was constructing headlines for a heated academic war, before I realised this wasn’t quite going to be the front page of The Sun.

Tabloid fantasies notwithstanding, it was a most illuminating lecture and one I’m so glad I attended. It is hard to pick a single highlight about the LSE Experience, but I would certainly say the public lectures or special lectures are a major winner. I really enjoy the chance they afford me to “think” about topics or ideas that we could not possibly explore in class. The writer in me was thrilled at the LSE Litfest and the lecture by Binyavanga Wainaina, while Amartya Sen’s lecture on poverty was an experience to remember. Also, it’s a rare opportunity to get the chance to meet the authors of classic texts, or listen first-hand to scholars whose works you have cited in your class essays. That is why I feel so fortunate to have listened to Prof George Loewenstein earlier in the year and now to Prof Gigerenzer, who are so well-known and respected in the academic community. After all, these are the celebrities of our disciplines!

See you at another public lecture soon!

PS: I would certainly recommend that anyone who has even a remote interest in this topic (or is looking to procrastinate by creating one) download the podcast, which is usually available a few days after the event, from here: http://www.lse.ac.uk/newsAndMedia/videoAndAudio/channels/publicLecturesAndEvents/Home.aspx )

PPS: Good luck in the exams 🙂

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Vaishnavi Ram Mohan

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