A Passion for Cooperation: Adventures of a Wide-Ranging Scientist

Robert Axelrod

Nov 2023 · University of Michigan Press

About this ebook

A Passion for Cooperation is the exciting autobiography of Robert Axelrod, one of the most acclaimed and wide-ranging scientists of the last fifty years. After being recognized by President Kennedy for being a promising young scientist while in high school, Axelrod built a career dedicated to collaborating with business school professors, international relations scholars, political scientists, computer scientists, and even evolutionary biologists and cancer researchers. Fifty years later, he was honored by President Obama with the National Medal of Science for scientific achievement and leadership and his work has been referred to as the gold standard of interdisciplinary research.

Yet Axelrod’s autobiography is not just an account of his wide-ranging passion for cooperation. It reveals his struggles to overcome failures and experience the joys of gaining new insights into how to achieve cooperation. A Passion for Cooperation recounts Robert Axelrod’s adventures talking with the leader of the organization Hamas, the Prime Minister of Israel, and the Foreign Minister of Syria. Axelrod also shares stories of being hosted in Kazakhstan by senior Soviet retired generals and visiting China with well-connected policy advisors on issues of military aspects of cyber conflict. Through stories of the difficulties and rewards of interdisciplinary collaborations, readers will discover how Axelrod’s academic and practical work have enriched each other and demonstrated that opportunities for cooperation are much greater than generally thought.

Ratings and reviews

Instructive. Here's the story of a happy learner!

About the author

Robert Axelrod is Distinguished University Professor of Political Science and Public Policy, Emeritus, at the University of Michigan. He is best known for his work on the evolution of cooperation. His many honors include a MacArthur Prize Fellowship and the National Medal of Science, “nation’s highest honor for scientific achievement and leadership.”