Vladimir Lefebvre

Vladimir Alexandrovich Lefebvre (Влади́мир Алекса́ндрович Лефе́вр, 22 September 1936 in Leningrad, USSR – 9 April 2020) was a mathematical psychologist at the University of California, Irvine. He created equations to predict the large-scale consequences of individual actions. Among the parameters in the equations are the self image of the individual and the action as perceived via this self-image. The result is a number expressing the probability that the individual in question will perform a specific action.

Lefebvre's mathematical approach to social psychology is often referred to as reflexive theory - presumably due to the 'reflexive' nature of taking into account subjects' self-image(s). Lefebvre developed Reflexive Theory as a military researcher in the former Soviet Union, where he was born and educated prior to coming to the United States. According to Jonathan Farley, a mathematician at Stanford doing applied work on national security issues, Lefebvre's Reflexive Theory was a Soviet alternative to game theory which had been widely adopted by the American defense establishment.

External links

• The Mathematics of Social Ethics: Reflexive Theory and 'The Torturer's Dilemma' - an introductory overview of 'reflexive theory' (as applied to issues in the War on Terrorism) at Econophysics Blog
• Vladimir Lefebvre, PhD - Vladimir Lefebvre bio at the Center for Advanced Defense Studies