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Thomas Schelling

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Economist

The Resume

    (April 14, 1921-December 13, 2016)
    Born in Oakland, California
    Professor of Political Economy at the John F Kennedy School of Government at Harvard (1969-89)
    Wrote 'The Strategy of Conflict' (1960), 'Arms and Influence' (1966), 'Micromotives and Macrobehavior' (1978), 'Choice and Consequence' (1984) and 'Strategies of Commitment' (2006)
    Won the Nobel Prize in Economics for analyzing conflict and cooperation using game theory (2005)

Why he might be annoying:

    He failed the Army physical during WWII because of chronic ulcers.
    He was described by students as 'short, gaunt and tweedy' and 'an unassuming guy who looks like he sells Hush Puppies at the local mall.'
    He was criticized by some game theorists for having an inadequate understanding of the underlying mathematics.
    His theories of 'controlled escalation' influenced the Johnson administrations approach to the Vietnam War.
    He coined the euphemism 'collateral damage' for civilian casualties (1961).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He helped administer the Marshall Plan in Europe after WWII.
    When he was consulted before the start of the 'Rolling Thunder' bombing campaign against North Vietnam, he recommended ending it after three weeks, arguing that if bombing had not broken the North's will to fight by then, it never would. Instead, Rolling Thunder lasted three years (1965-68).
    Steven Levitt wrote that he 'represents the very best of game theory.'
    His review that Peter George's novel 'Red Alert' was the 'first plausible, detailed examination of how a [nuclear] war might actually get started' eventually led to Stanley Kubrick making the film 'Dr. Strangelove.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 6 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 7 Votes: 71.43% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 13 Votes: 53.85% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 97 Votes: 81.44% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 13 Votes: 53.85% Annoying