#384 Robert Sapolsky: Behavior, Self-control, Morality, Primates, Humans, and Religion
RECORDED ON OCTOBER 7th 2020.
Dr. Robert Sapolsky is the John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn Professor of Biology and Professor of Neurology and of Neurosurgery at Stanford University. Dr. Sapolsky is the author of several informative and comical books that present cutting edge psychoneurobiological knowledge in an enjoyable, easy to read format. He’s also a renowned researcher and award-winning professor at Stanford University. He’s the author of books like Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, The Trouble with Testosterone: And Other Essays on the Biology of the Human Predicament, A Primate’s Memoir, Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst.
This is a follow-up talk with Dr. Sapolsky. You can find the first one here: https://youtu.be/S9pqdKP9tuk
In this episode, we cover the following topics: how to think about the causes behind behavior; self-control without free will; how people develop their morality; the similarities and differences between humans and other primates; the role emotions play in decision-making; the effects of stress on baboons and humans; how hierarchies work in human societies; obedience; psychopathology and religion; and primate vocalizations and language.
Time Links:
What causes behavior?
Self-control without free will
Moral development
Comparing humans to other primates
Is war part of human nature?
Emotions, cognition, and decision-making
The effects of stress in humans and baboons
Are humans a hierarchical species?
Are we obedient? (Milgram experiments, and the Stanford Prison experiment)
The relationship between psychopathology and religious behavior
Question from a patron: primate vocalizations and language
Follow Dr. Sapolsky’s work:
Faculty page: https://stanford.io/2t1M8xQ
ResearchGate profile: http://bit.ly/2tG25tw
Books on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2FvO9Ff
Human Behavioral Biology (YouTube): http://bit.ly/38LBf1Y