László Méro
Encyclopedia
László Mérő is a Hungarian
research psychologist and popular science
author
. He is a lecturer at the Experimental Psychology Department of Eötvös Loránd University and at the business school Kürt Academy. 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
. His son is Csaba Mérő
, 8 time Hungarian go
champion.
He represented Hungary
in the Tenth International Mathematical Olympiad
held in Moscow
in 1968, and was awarded a Bronze Medal.http://www.imo-official.org/team_r.asp?code=HUN&year=1968 He graduated from Eötvös Loránd University with a degree in Mathematics
in 1974. He spent the next ten years at the Computer and Automation Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
, working on various pattern recognition
and artificial intelligence
projects. Recognizing the limitations of artificial intelligence
, he began investigating human cognition
. Since 1984 he has been at the Experimental Psychology Department of Eötvös Loránd University, studying cognitive psychology
and psychophysics
.
He has written two books, Ways of thinking and Moral calculations, that aroused the interest of the wider, non-professional public. His books analyze the quasi-rational mechanisms of people and the nature of rationality
in general, undermining some common beliefs about our minds' functioning.
He has been publishing in Magyar Narancs
a series titled Are you the dance instructor here? (The title refers to a joke: A client enters the dancing school and asks a well-dressed man: "Are you the dance instructor here?" "Bullshit, I'm the etiquette instructor!") Several of these essays were collected in a book in 2005 (see below).
A lesser known book of his is Rubik's Puzzles : The Ultimate Brain Teaser Book (March 2000, ISBN 185868790X).
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
research psychologist and popular science
Popular science
Popular science, sometimes called literature of science, is interpretation of science intended for a general audience. While science journalism focuses on recent scientific developments, popular science is broad-ranging, often written by scientists as well as journalists, and is presented in many...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. He is a lecturer at the Experimental Psychology Department of Eötvös Loránd University and at the business school Kürt Academy. 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
Erno Rubik
Ernő Rubik is a Hungarian inventor, architect and professor of architecture. He is best known for the invention of mechanical puzzles including Rubik's Cube , Rubik's Magic, Rubik's Magic: Master Edition, Rubik's Snake and Rubik's 360....
, the inventor of the Rubik's Cube
Rubik's Cube
Rubik's Cube is a 3-D mechanical puzzle invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Ernő Rubik.Originally called the "Magic Cube", the puzzle was licensed by Rubik to be sold by Ideal Toy Corp. in 1980 and won the German Game of the Year special award for Best Puzzle that...
. He is also the leader of the Hungarian team at the World Puzzle Championship
World Puzzle Championship
The World Puzzle Championship is an annual international puzzle competition run by the World Puzzle Federation. The first one was held in New York in 1992...
. His son is Csaba Mérő
Csaba Mérõ
Csaba Mérő is an amateur Go player.- Biography :Mérő began playing Go when he was 14. He is the son of Hungarian mathematician László Mérő. By 1996 he had already won the European Youth Go Championship and Hungarian Championship. After he finished secondary school he moved to Japan in 1999. He was...
, 8 time Hungarian go
Go (board game)
Go , is an ancient board game for two players that originated in China more than 2,000 years ago...
champion.
He represented Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
in the Tenth International Mathematical Olympiad
International Mathematical Olympiad
The International Mathematical Olympiad is an annual six-problem, 42-point mathematical olympiad for pre-collegiate students and is the oldest of the International Science Olympiads. The first IMO was held in Romania in 1959. It has since been held annually, except in 1980...
held in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
in 1968, and was awarded a Bronze Medal.http://www.imo-official.org/team_r.asp?code=HUN&year=1968 He graduated from Eötvös Loránd University with a degree in Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
in 1974. He spent the next ten years at the Computer and Automation Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Hungarian Academy of Sciences
The Hungarian Academy of Sciences is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the Danube in Budapest.-History:...
, working on various pattern recognition
Pattern recognition
In machine learning, pattern recognition is the assignment of some sort of output value to a given input value , according to some specific algorithm. An example of pattern recognition is classification, which attempts to assign each input value to one of a given set of classes...
and artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
projects. Recognizing the limitations of artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
, he began investigating human cognition
Cognition
In science, cognition refers to mental processes. These processes include attention, remembering, producing and understanding language, solving problems, and making decisions. Cognition is studied in various disciplines such as psychology, philosophy, linguistics, and computer science...
. Since 1984 he has been at the Experimental Psychology Department of Eötvös Loránd University, studying cognitive psychology
Cognitive psychology
Cognitive psychology is a subdiscipline of psychology exploring internal mental processes.It is the study of how people perceive, remember, think, speak, and solve problems.Cognitive psychology differs from previous psychological approaches in two key ways....
and psychophysics
Psychophysics
Psychophysics quantitatively investigates the relationship between physical stimuli and the sensations and perceptions they effect. Psychophysics has been described as "the scientific study of the relation between stimulus and sensation" or, more completely, as "the analysis of perceptual...
.
He has written two books, Ways of thinking and Moral calculations, that aroused the interest of the wider, non-professional public. His books analyze the quasi-rational mechanisms of people and the nature of rationality
Rationality
In philosophy, rationality is the exercise of reason. It is the manner in which people derive conclusions when considering things deliberately. It also refers to the conformity of one's beliefs with one's reasons for belief, or with one's actions with one's reasons for action...
in general, undermining some common beliefs about our minds' functioning.
He has been publishing in Magyar Narancs
Magyar Narancs
Magyar Narancs is a weekly liberal magazine with a strong satiric tone appearing on Thursdays in Hungary. It is informally referred to as Mancs which is a joking abbreviation of the name. The language of the magazine is unique in that it uses everyday speech and not the strict language of common...
a series titled Are you the dance instructor here? (The title refers to a joke: A client enters the dancing school and asks a well-dressed man: "Are you the dance instructor here?" "Bullshit, I'm the etiquette instructor!") Several of these essays were collected in a book in 2005 (see below).
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).
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) – , only in Hungarian
- Maga itt a tánctanár? – Pszichológia, moralitás, játék és tudomány ("Are You the Dance Instructor Here? – Psychology, morality, game and science", ISBN 9638453974) – a collection of articles; , only in Hungarian
See also
- John von NeumannJohn von NeumannJohn von Neumann was a Hungarian-American mathematician and polymath who made major contributions to a vast number of fields, including set theory, functional analysis, quantum mechanics, ergodic theory, geometry, fluid dynamics, economics and game theory, computer science, numerical analysis,...
- Roger PenroseRoger PenroseSir Roger Penrose OM FRS is an English mathematical physicist and Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics at the Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford and Emeritus Fellow of Wadham College...
- Douglas HofstadterDouglas HofstadterDouglas Richard Hofstadter is an American academic whose research focuses on consciousness, analogy-making, artistic creation, literary translation, and discovery in mathematics and physics...