134 | Robert Sapolsky on Why We Behave the Way We Do
February 15, 2021
1 hr 28 min
134
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142 of 432
Episode 134 · February 15, 2021
134 | Robert Sapolsky on Why We Behave the Way We Do
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1:28:39This episode134 | Robert Sapolsky on Why We Behave the Way We Do
Summary
<p>A common argument against free will is that human behavior is not freely chosen, but rather determined by a number of factors. So what are those factors, anyway? There's no one better equipped to answer this question than Robert Sapolsky, a leading psychoneurobiologist who has studied human behavior from a variety of angles. In this conversation we follow the path Sapolsky sets out in his bestselling book <a href="https://bookshop.org/books/behave-the-biology-of-humans-at-our-best-and-worst/9780143110910" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Behave</em></a>, where he examines the influences on our behavior from a variety of timescales, from the very short (signals from the amygdala) to the quite ancient (genetic factors tracing back tens of thousands of years and more). It's a dizzying tour that helps us understand the complexity of human action.</p> <p><em>Support Mindscape on </em><a href="https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Patreon</em></a><em>.</em></p> <p>Robert Sapolsky received his Ph.D. in neuroendocrinology from Rockefeller University. He is currently the John and Cynthia Fry Gunn Professor of Biology, Neurology, and Neurosurgery at Stanford University. His awards include a MacArthur Fellowship, the McGovern Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Wonderfest's Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization.</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://profiles.stanford.edu/robert-sapolsky" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Stanford web page</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Sapolsky" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.robertsapolskyrocks.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Robert Sapolsky Rocks (fan page)</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Robert-M.-Sapolsky/e/B000APOCFE" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amazon author page</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL848F2368C90DDC3D" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">YouTube lectures on Human Behavioral Biology</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4234295/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IMDb</a></li> </ul> <p><br /></p>
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