Robert Axelrod is a Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at the University of Michigan. Receiving a PH.D. at Yale in Political Science, he is best known for his work and research concerning the evolution of cooperation and political behavior into the modern age. He is an award-winning and extensively published scholar who has taught across the country, consulting for organizations like The UN, the World Bank, and the US Department of Defense. In this interview, Axelrod sits down with Mia to talk about his work, the current political climate, and his hopes for future political thinking and action.

ROBERT AXELROD

I think the most critical thing is education for critical thinking. The ability to listen to a political argument or an argument of any sort, on COVID, for example, or climate change, and not necessarily understand the science behind that, but to understand how to evaluate the credibility of the speaker, how to evaluate the logic of the arguments and to see whether a conspiracy theory is behind this that has no grounding… And so I think what’s especially important in would be an educational in critical thinking.

This interview was conducted by Mia Funk with the participation of collaborating universities and students. Associate Interviews Producers on this podcast were Chase Van Langan & Gabriela Garcia-Astolfi. Digital Media Coordinator is Hannah Story Brown.