Dr. Andrew Bard Schmookler began his life's work in the late 1960s, studying how forces – constructive and, primarily, destructive – operate in civilized societies. He wrote several books on these subjects.

Andy had a front-row seat to watch a dynamic change in our political discourse. He had a call-in radio program in the early 1990s and where he once was able to find some common ground or mutual respect with opinions that might vary from his own. Still, he noticed a seismic shift beginning in the mid-1990s. as a man who had studied societies,  he understood the sinister undercurrent and unsuspecting actors coagulating together in what might ultimately unravel humanity itself. Andy began sounding the alarm in 2004 and has been ever since.

In an episode that bookends the first two parts of our discussion - In Part 3: The Dynamics of Polarization, Andy and I discuss the deep roots of polarization and the dark road we're on, but fear not, Andy reminds us in the end, there have been dire situations for us before, and even some positive ones we didn't see coming out of the darkness.

For more information: http://abetterhumanstory.org/

Twitter: @andyschmookler

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