Thomas Schelling is a political economist "conspicuous for wandering" an errant economist. In "Choice and Consequence," he ventures into the area where rationality is ambiguous in order to look at the tricks people use to try to quit smoking or lose weight. He explores topics as awesome as nuclear terrorism, as sordid as blackmail, as ineffable as daydreaming, as intimidating as euthanasia. He examines ethical issues wrapped up in economics, unwrapping the economics to disclose ethical issues that are misplaced or misidentified. With an ingenious, often startling approach Schelling brings new perspectives to problems ranging from drug abuse, abortion, and the value people put on their lives to organized crime, airplane hijacking, and automobile safety. One chapter is a clear and elegant exposition of game theory as a framework for analyzing social problems. Another plays with the hypothesis that our minds are not only our problem-solving equipment but also the organ in which much of our consumption takes place. What binds together the different subjects is the author's belief in the possibility of simultaneously being humane and analytical, of dealing with both the momentous and the familiar. "Choice and Consequence" was written for the curious, the puzzled, the worried, and all those who appreciate intellectual adventure.

托马斯 C. 谢林（Thomas C. Schelling，1921-）

2005年诺贝尔经济学奖获得者，因其在博弈论领域做出的贡献而获奖。

1921年4月14日出生于美国加利福尼亚洲，于1948年获哈佛大学经济学博士学位。谢林重要的理论著作包括《冲突的战略》《武器与影响》等，与传统上大量运用数学的博弈论不一样，其主要研究领域被称为“非数理博弈”。他的理论和思想不仅运用在经济学分析中，在外交、军事领域也深有影响。他的很多观点后来随着博弈论的新发展，成为博弈理论中最基本的概念。

他的理论被大量应用在外交、威慑、武力控制和国际援助等国际领域，但是，他的研究灵感却来自交通阻塞、跟孩子沟通、面对处罚、提起诉讼和设计会议日程等人们的日常行为。