The Nobel laureate who liked to collaborate with his adversaries

OUR all-American belief that money really does buy happiness is roughly correct for about 85 per cent of us. We know this thanks to the latest and perhaps final work of Daniel Kahneman, the Nobel Prize winner who insisted on the value of working with those with whom we disagree.

Prof Kahneman, who died on Mar 27 at the age of 90, is best known for his path-breaking explorations of human judgment and decision-making, and of how people deviate from perfect rationality. He should also be remembered for a living and working philosophy that has never been more relevant: his enthusiasm for collaborating with his intellectual adversaries.

This enthusiasm was deeply personal. He experienced real joy working with others to discover the truth, even if he learnt that he was wrong (something that often delighted him).