Polarization: Arthur Brooks on ‘Bringing America Together’

The sixth installment of “Polarization: A Civic Crisis” features American Enterprise Institute (AEI) president Arthur Brooks, who draws on history, social psychology, behavioral economics and the counsel of ancient wisdom to address the divisions that plague America. He seeks to find a set of strategies to help us disagree better, forge a new model of aspirational leadership and unite the country.

About the Speaker

Arthur C. Brooks has been president of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) since 2009. Before joining AEI, Brooks was the Louis A. Bantle Professor of Business and Government at Syracuse University, where he taught economics and social entrepreneurship. Before pursuing his work in academia and public policy, he spent 12 years as a classical musician in the United States and Spain. Brooks is a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times and the bestselling author of 11 books on topics including the role of government, economic opportunity, happiness and the morality of free enterprise.

About the Series

The polarized and compartmentalized intellectual climate on American campuses both mirrors and contributes to similar maladies in American civic life.

To examine the problem and begin to discuss possible solutions both at the level of the campus and society, Arizona State University’s School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership, together with its partners in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, is hosting a lecture series and conference, “Polarization and Civil Disagreement: Confronting America’s Civic Crisis.” You can also watch discussions and join the conversation on Facebook.

WATCH: See the full list of episodes of “Polarization: A Civic Crisis”