Psychology   

Is humanity cursed, as Thomas Hobbes lamented, to an anarchic “state of nature” that is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short?” Perhaps our prospective doom is not as likely as is widely supposed. Robert Axelrod, in his newly updated classic, The Evolution of Cooperation, begins with the provocative question: “Under what conditions will cooperation emerge in a world of egoists without central authority?” Such conditions do exist. Axelrod’s description of them is straightforward, optimistic, and amazing in practice. Is this hopeful claim an exaggeration? Join us for this class and see for yourself.

New remote course. Format includes lecture and discussion.

SUGGESTED BOOK: The Evolution of Cooperation, Robert Axelrod, ISBN 9781541606845. Recommended book (paperback) will be released May 6, 2025. Amazon is taking pre-orders for shipping on the release date.

Have you ever wanted to know what it is like to talk to a serial killer or a mass murderer? Do you find yourself wondering how someone can take a life? Join us as we analyze the instructor’s personal collection of artwork and correspondences from over one hundred infamous killers from around the world. The author of two books on serial killers, the instructor will answer the questions of what goes through a crazed killer’s mind and what in their background and childhood could be a mitigating factor that may have led them to murder.

New in-person workshop. Format includes lecture.