David Orrell (left) speaking with
Robert Matthews at the Art Center Global Dialogues, Barcelona, 2008
(born 1962 in
Edmonton) is a
Canadian writer and
mathematician. He received his doctorate in
mathematics from the
University of Oxford. His work in the prediction of
complex systems such as the
weather,
genetics and the
economy has been featured in
New Scientist, the
Financial Times,
Adbusters,
BBC Radio,
Russia-1, and
CBC TV. He now conducts research and writes in the areas of
systems biology and
economics,
[1] and runs a mathematical consultancy Systems Forecasting. He is the son of theatre historian and English professor
John Orrell.
His books have been translated into over ten languages. Apollo's Arrow: The Science of Prediction and the Future of Everything was a national bestseller and finalist for the 2007 Canadian Science Writers' Award. Economyths: Ten Ways Economics Gets It Wrong was a finalist for the 2011 National Business Book Award.
A consistent topic in Orrell’s work is the limitations of mathematical models, and the need to acknowledge these limitations if we are to understand the causes of forecast error. He argues for example that errors in weather prediction are caused primarily by model error, rather than the butterfly effect.[2] Economic models are seen as particularly unrealistic.[3] In Truth or Beauty: Science and the Quest for Order, he suggests that many such theories, along with areas of physics such as string theory, are motivated largely by the desire to conform with a traditional scientific aesthetic, that is currently being subverted by developments in complexity science.
Books
- Orrell, David (2012). Truth or Beauty: Science and the Quest for Order. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0300186611.
- Sedlacek, Tomas; Orrell, David; Chlupaty, Roman (2012). Soumrak Homo Economicus. 65th Square. ISBN 978-80-87506-07-3.
- Orrell, David; Van Loon, Borin (2011). Introducing Economics: A Graphic Guide. Icon. ISBN 978-1848312159.
- Orrell, David (2010). Economyths: Ten Ways Economics Gets It Wrong. Icon. ISBN 978-1848311480.
- Orrell, David (2008). The Other Side of the Coin: The Emerging Vision of Economics and Our Place in The World. Key Porter. ISBN 978-1552639818.
- Orrell, David (2008). Gaia. Lulu.com. ISBN 978-1409255178.
- Orrell, David (2007). Apollo's Arrow: The Science of Prediction and the Future of Everything. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0002007405. Published in the U.S. as The Future of Everything: The Science of Prediction.
See also
References
- ↑ "Research". David Orrell: Writer and Mathematician. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
- ↑ Orrell, David; Smith, Leonard; Barkmeijer, Jan; Palmer, Tim (2001). "Model error in weather forecasting". Nonlinear Proc. Geoph. 9: 357–371.
- ↑ Orrell, David; McSharry, Patrick (2009). "System economics: Overcoming the pitfalls of forecasting models via a multidisciplinary approach". International Journal of Forecasting 25: 734–743.
External links
- David Orrell's homepage
- Systems Forecasting
- Video of talk on prediction given at TEDx Park Kultury, Moscow in 2012
- Extract from Economyths in Adbusters magazine, viewable in English, Portuguese, and Spanish
- ABC News - Good Morning America (excerpts from Apollo's Arrow)
- National Post's review of Apollo's Arrow
- Sunday Times review of Truth or Beauty
| Persondata |
|---|
| Name |
Orrell, David |
| Alternative names |
|
| Short description |
Canadian mathematician |
| Date of birth |
1962 |
| Place of birth |
Edmonton |
| Date of death |
|
| Place of death |
|
