Look Who it Was Random video

John Maynard Smith - Studying mathematics and English (5/102)

2,934 views · Published 22 March 2017 · 0:56 · Indexed 12 November 2026

Channel: Web of Stories - Life Stories of Remarkable People · 2017 · Science & Technology

Watch on YouTube

To hear more of John Maynard Smith’s stories, go to the playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b0Nm_L3TKg&list=PLVV0r6CmEsFzJSvAc4MBuUP_GrjO1lLHp

The late British biologist John Maynard Smith (1920-2004) is famous for applying game theory to the study of natural selection. In 1973 Maynard Smith formalised a central concept in game theory called the evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS). His ideas, presented in books such as 'Evolution and the Theory of Games', were enormously influential and led to a more rigorous scientific analysis and understanding of interactions between living things. [Listener: Richard Dawkins; date recorded: 1997]


TRANSCRIPT: Each week, the few of us who were good at mathematics were given a set of problems, 10 problems to solve. And they were not on the maths we'd learnt that week, they were any old mathematics, any old problems. And I would spend anything up to 10 hours in a week trying to solve these problems, partly with a sort of needle between me and two other guys as to who could solve which ones, and so on; partly I just really enjoyed doing it. And I became a very good puzzle solver, and basically my scientific career has been built on solving puzzles, I guess.

[RD] Yes, but you also learned to write English and speak English with the sort of confidence that somewhere like Eton gives you.

I suppose that's true. I certainly was expected to write a lot of essays, and I suppose it's not something I'm conscious of having learned but I guess I did, give them their due.

More from this channel