Why Does It Sometimes Pay to Be a Chicken? With Professor Michael Wooldridge episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 7, 2026 · 42 MIN

Why Does It Sometimes Pay to Be a Chicken? With Professor Michael Wooldridge

from Intelligence Squared · host Intelligence Squared

From Brexit negotiations and the Cuban Missile Crisis to elections, auctions and everyday decision-making, game theory can offer powerful insights into how we navigate a world shaped by competing interests, cooperation and strategic choices. In this episode, Professor Michael Wooldridge joins Carl Miller to explore the surprising life lessons hidden within one of mathematics' most influential fields. Drawing on ideas from his new book Life Lessons from Game Theory: The Art of Thinking Strategically in a Complex World, Wooldridge explains how game theory can help us better understand conflict, human behaviour and truth.  Professor Michael Wooldridge the Ashall Professor of the Foundations of Artificial Intelligence in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Oxford, and a Senior Research Fellow at Hertford College. Carl Miller is an author, speaker and researcher at Demos, a think tank based in London, where he co-founded the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media in 2012. --- If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events  ...  Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series … Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. … Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jun 7, 2026

Embed this episode

NOW PLAYING

Why Does It Sometimes Pay to Be a Chicken? With Professor Michael Wooldridge

0:00 42:42

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Intelligence Squared?

This episode is 42 minutes long.

When was this Intelligence Squared episode published?

This episode was published on June 7, 2026.

Can I download this Intelligence Squared episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!