Selected topics of the 2005 Nobel Prize

Johnf nash is regarded as the most unfortunate and fortunate person in economics. At the age of 22, he founded game theory and rebuilt the foundation of economics; Eight years later, he was suddenly hit by schizophrenia for 30 years; When he was nearly 60 years old, he miraculously walked out of the shadow of the disease and won the Nobel Prize in Economics.

Economist Wang Zeke summed up Nash's story like this: If genius is regarded as positive infinity, then idiots are not too far from negative infinity. Nash is such a marginal person who lives in an infinite area. Give it a push and he will fall and never come back; Pull him hard, and you may not be able to pull it. Now, he finally came back, which can only be a miracle of love.

At the age of 22, he put forward the Nash equilibrium.

Not everyone knows the meaning of game theory, but the two words "win-win" and "win-win" originated from game theory are household names in China.

Nash was once called the "ghost" of Princeton University. It is said that he often wandered in the corridor of Fanlou, where the Department of Mathematics is located, and wrote something on the wall that no one could understand.

At the age of 22, Nash elaborated the game theory that was later called "Nash equilibrium" in a 27-page doctoral thesis entitled "Non-cooperative Game". The correct application of this method will enable the parties involved in an economic activity with a conflict of interest to make a favorable choice without cooperation, but the final result may be beneficial to * * *.

In the classical sense, economics always starts from the individual behavior and market reaction of economic subjects, but according to game theory, subjects are not only influenced by their own market behavior, but also face other opponents. At the age of 66, Nash won the 1994 Nobel Prize in Economics for his game theory. The academic comment is that this discovery is the victory of pure rational thinking and reconstructs the foundation of economics.

A hero with a beautiful heart

195 1 year, Nash became a lecturer at MIT. Because of his handsome young face, he was nicknamed "Professor Doll" by the students. The young scholar got everything he wanted when he was in his twenties. Throughout the 1950s, the influence of Nash's game theory in the field of American economics continued to deepen.

However, this rising state only lasted for 8 years. In the next 30 years, Nash encountered an unbearable ideological gap. At the age of 30, he developed paranoid schizophrenia.

Many people saw this painful scene in the movie A Beautiful Mind. Nash, played by Russell Crowe, suddenly froze in the face of a piece of paper full of numbers, and all kinds of experiences flashed in his mind, turning into hallucinations, unable to tell the truth from the false.

Nash's wife Alicia later recalled: "1959, everything seemed to happen within two weeks." At that time, John had begun to hallucinate and he began to doubt everything. "

What is even more unacceptable is that Nash's son was later found to have the same disease as his father. Teachers and friends of Alicia and Nash can only rely on patience, waiting and hope for the next 30 years. The miracle finally appeared in the mid-1980s, when Nash was almost 60 years old and he recovered from his illness.

1994, Nash was awarded the late Nobel Prize in Economics by the Royal Swedish Society. "When John and I were happiest, it was 1994 when John won the Nobel Prize in Economics. This honor has brought great changes to our lives. " Alicia said.