Being undecided is an extraordinary power of our minds, unique to us humans. However, indecisiveness can feel very uncomfortable for the decision-maker and be perceived as an unattractive trait by those around them. Ophelia Deroy is a firm believer that we should value indecision much more, to endure its discomfort and fully embrace its power. In this informative and witty talk, she shares her research on decision science and its potential implications on society.
Ophelia Deroy is a cognitive scientist and philosopher, leading an interdisciplinary research laboratory at the LMU in Munich, where she also works as a professor, holding the chair in philosophy of mind. She held research and visiting positions in Paris, New York, Rio, Berlin and London, where she served as deputy director of the Institute of philosophy.
She is an active promoter of stronger connections between philosophical and scientific approaches to the mind. Thus, in her unique research laboratory, together with her team, she starts with problems instead of disciplines. The result is an academically diverse group of psychologists, neuroscientists, and computer scientists, turning philosophical theories into experiments, to conduct research on how we combine personal and social information.
As an extension, to implement these new ideas in the real world, she is advising governments, NGOs, museums, and companies to foster better collective experiences and communication. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx