Notes on Behave by Robert Sapolsky

Sapolsky refuses to give in to the idea that if biology determines our worst behaviours, so are our best. And while he's very critical of the punishment imposed to our villains, he can't help but idolize our heroes.

It's clear what type of world he wants to see: one less violent, more kind, less individualistic, more collaborative. But in doing so, he extracts something from his own scientific conclusions that isn't there. He does so with extreme care, analysing behaviours from our grandiose historical events down to everyday little gestures, repeatedly and effective making its point: we are not in control of ourselves.

And while this may very well lead you to a form of dystopic mind controlling society, perhaps ideally guided by a good intentioned dictator, his views are more pragmatic and short term oriented. Emphasizing the suffering we've inflicted and how much more we could prevent it from being done if we followed the scientific principles of human behaviour.

So the human condition, the rationalisation of our own circumstances, the illusion of free will, must go on, using the ground shaking discoveries of the brain just to tilt it in favor of a hopefully less violent and frightening society.

Sapolsky is a real kind-hearted dreamer, an hopeful romantic, that rightfully refuses to see how cruel it is to just exist.


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