Philippe De Wilde

For Kids and Non-scientists

Home For Researchers For Business For Students For Kids and Non-scientists The MacLaurin Papers Publications Contact: p.de_wilde@hw.ac.uk School of MACS Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh EH14 5AZ UK 0131 451 8306 secretary: 0131 451 4152

As a child, I wanted to become a philosopher. When I read the ancient Greek philosophers, I realised that they did not only philosophy, but also mathematics. Many ancient philosophical views are not acceptable nowadays, for example Plato's support for dictators. The mathematics that were discovered thousands of years ago are still true, however. So I decided to study mathematics and not philosophy. I did an undergraduate degree and then a Masters degree and a doctorate. This took me eight years. I have written several books and nearly 100 articles. I am still learning every day. My research is about decision making when you are not quite sure about what to do. You may prefer an Apple iPhone over a cheaper alternative. How much more are you willing to pay for the iPhone? It's not easy to put a number on this. But money is counted in numbers, so you are forced to put a price on something that is just some chemistry in your brain. I try to find out how the brain chemistry affects what you are willing to pay for the iPhone. Would you pay more for the iPhone if your friends recommended it on Facebook?  Is the recommendation from a good friend worth more? Who influences what your friends recommend?  I try to understand how social networks help us make decisions. What if the iPhone was auctioned instead of sold at a fixed price? Would you be willing to pay more or less? What do you think will the other bidders in the aucion do? I try to predict this. I use mathematics, computer science, economics, and brain science to answer these questions. I never learnt economics or brain science at University. I studied that on my own, later. You can always learn new things. My research gives me insights, but no definitive answers. Most things you learn in school have answers, but that is unusual in real life. Uncertainty makes life interesting.