134 | Robert Sapolsky on Why We Behave the Way We Do

134 | Robert Sapolsky on Why We Behave the Way We Do

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 Behave, 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.

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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.


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Episoder(442)

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364 | Stuart Firestein on How Science Relies on Ignorance and Failure

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One of the paradoxes of science is that it seeks objectively true understanding of the world, but its methodology is driven by ignorance, failure, and uncertainty. Some phenomena we understand pretty ...

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363 | Chandra Sripada on How LLMs and Humans are Cognitive Cousins

363 | Chandra Sripada on How LLMs and Humans are Cognitive Cousins

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10 Aug 1h 51min

Mindscape Ask Me Anything, Sean Carroll | August 2026

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Welcome to the August 2026 Ask Me Anything episode of Mindscape! These monthly excursions are funded by Patreon supporters (who are also the ones asking the questions). We take questions asked by Patr...

3 Aug 3h 57min

362 | Luis Bettencourt on the Universal Properties of Self-Organizing Cities

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27 Jul 1h 20min

361 | Bonnie Bassler on How Bacteria Talk and Work Together

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20 Jul 1h 15min

Mindscape Ask Me Anything, Sean Carroll | July 2026

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Welcome to the July 2026 Ask Me Anything episode of Mindscape! These monthly excursions are funded by Patreon supporters (who are also the ones asking the questions). We take questions asked by Patreo...

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