László Mérő

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László Mérő (1949-) is a Hungarian mathematician, research psychologist and game-theorist. He received his degree in mathematics. Today he is a lecturer at the Experimental Psychology Department of ELTE University; he received his Ph.D. in Psychology in 2000. He is also a founder and leader of a software company producing computer games. One of his projects is a computer game he is developing with Ernő Rubik, the inventor of the Rubik's Cube. He is also the leader of the Hungarian team at the World Puzzle Championship.

He made a name for himself with two books which aroused the interest of the wider, non-professional audience. His books analyze the quasi-rational mechanisms of people and the nature of rationality in general, undermining some common beliefs about our minds' functioning.

• Picture

[edit] Volumes published in English

• Ways of Thinking : The Limits of Rational Thought and Artificial Intelligence (August/October 1990, hardcover: ISBN 9810202660, paperback: ISBN 9810202679)
  • A revised (rewritten) edition of the former:
    

Habits of Mind : The Power and Limits of Rational Thought (February 2002, ISBN 038795077X)

• Moral Calculations : Game Theory, Logic and Human Frailty (July 1998, ISBN 0387984194)

A lesser known book of his is Rubik's Puzzles : The Ultimate Brain Teaser Book (March 2000, ISBN 185868790X).

[edit] Other language editions

His books (originally written in Hungarian) has been published in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, and Croatian. The Moral Calculations was awarded the second prize as the Scientific Book of the Year in Germany in 1999.

• Ways of Thinking; Habits of Mind – Észjárások (Hungarian); Die Grenzen der Vernunft (German)
• Moral Calculations – Mindenki másképp egyforma (Hungarian); Optimal entschieden?; Die Logik der Unvernunft (German); Les aléas de la raison (French); Calcoli morali (Italian); Los azares de la razón (Spanish)
• Az élő pénz ("The living money", ISBN 9638453842) – as of 2006, only in Hungarian
• Maga itt a tánctanár? – Pszichológia, moralitás, játék és tudomány ("Are You the Dance Instructor? – Psychology, morality, game and science", ISBN 9638453974) – a collection of articles; as of 2006, only in Hungarian

[edit] See also

• John von Neumann
• Roger Penrose
• Douglas Hofstadter.