What do you think?
Rate this book
Biology and Human Behavior: The Neurological Origins of Individuality
High quality, university level teaching! 12 audio CDs with guidebooks which outline the course.
Course Lecture Titles
1. Biology and BehaviorAn Introduction
2. The Basic Cells of the Nervous System
3. How Two Neurons Communicate
4. Learning and Synaptic Plasticity
5. The Dynamics of Interacting Neurons
6. The Limbic System
7. The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
8. The Regulation of Hormones by the Brain
9. The Regulation of the Brain by Hormones
10. The Evolution of Behavior
11. The Evolution of BehaviorSome Examples
12. Cooperation, Competition, and Neuroeconomics
13. What Do Genes Do? Microevolution of Genes
14. What Do Genes Do? Macroevolution of Genes
15. Behavior Genetics
16. Behavior Genetics and Prenatal Environment
17. An Introduction to Ethology
18. Neuroethology
19. The Neurobiology of Aggression I
20. The Neurobiology of Aggression II
21. Hormones and Aggression
22. Early Experience and Aggression
23. Evolution, Aggression, and Cooperation
24. A Summary
Course Lecture Titles
1. Biology and BehaviorAn Introduction
2. The Basic Cells of the Nervous System
3. How Two Neurons Communicate
4. Learning and Synaptic Plasticity
5. The Dynamics of Interacting Neurons
6. The Limbic System
7. The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
8. The Regulation of Hormones by the Brain
9. The Regulation of the Brain by Hormones
10. The Evolution of Behavior
11. The Evolution of BehaviorSome Examples
12. Cooperation, Competition, and Neuroeconomics
13. What Do Genes Do? Microevolution of Genes
14. What Do Genes Do? Macroevolution of Genes
15. Behavior Genetics
16. Behavior Genetics and Prenatal Environment
17. An Introduction to Ethology
18. Neuroethology
19. The Neurobiology of Aggression I
20. The Neurobiology of Aggression II
21. Hormones and Aggression
22. Early Experience and Aggression
23. Evolution, Aggression, and Cooperation
24. A Summary
24 pages, Audio CD
First published January 1, 2005
84 people are currently reading
3575 people want to read
About the author
Robert M. Sapolsky
24 books5,222 followersRobert Morris Sapolsky is an American neuroendocrinology researcher and author. He is currently a professor of biology, and professor of neurology and neurological sciences and, by courtesy, neurosurgery, at Stanford University. In addition, he is a research associate at the National Museums of Kenya.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
May 7, 2017
The greatest college lecturer of all fucking time.
February 28, 2013
Sopolsky is the Jimmi Hendrix of lecturers. He's likable, humane, funny, and just plain brilliant. His writing is good, but his real talent is clearly teaching. I bow down to his godlike talent because I'm not worthy of his greatness. All hail the hairy, hippy platinum tongued endocrinologist.
June 5, 2020
Informative, thought-provoking and entertaining. Robert Sapolsky is such an outstanding lecturer that even if he were discussing a laundry list, it would still be a sheer pleasure to listen to.
April 15, 2021
The greatest lecture series of all time!
It could be that this is the most-watched lecture series of all time too. On YouTube, these 25 lectures(~1:30 hours each) have a combined total of around 25 million views, individual lectures are among the most-watched videos on the Stanford channel.
Truly remarkable knowledge.
It could be that this is the most-watched lecture series of all time too. On YouTube, these 25 lectures(~1:30 hours each) have a combined total of around 25 million views, individual lectures are among the most-watched videos on the Stanford channel.
Truly remarkable knowledge.
June 24, 2012
This is a set of lectures on the neurological basis for behavior. Sapolsky walks his audience through the operation of the nerve cell, the synaptic relationship between cells, the networks of cells that provide various functions, and the transformation of cells through learning.
Sapolsky states that there are numerous places within the operation of the brain that account for our individuality and what makes us, "us." Neurotransmitters and receptors, sex hormones, limbic systems, memory networks, and the autonomic nervous system all vary in operation. Drugs help to illustrate the biochemical basis for how we operate. Some drugs fake out receptors; others block their operation. Some drugs amplify signals sent out and received and other drugs tranquilize them. Some drugs destroy the chemical vesicles that convey messages between cells. Sapolsky also notes the various pscychological disorders such as obsessive-compulsive (anxiety), depression (bi-polar and unipolar) and temporal lobe disorder (??) that all have a strong biochemical basis.
Sapolsky's lectures are informative and well-presented. There are three take home points. First, there's a strong material/chemical basis for who we are and our individuality. Sapolsky emphasizes the more obvious chemical basis for behavior and psychological disorders. While this could suggest variation from a norm of behavior where all are the same, Sapolsky's theme supports the notion that the norm (well-adjusted) is statistical, and that we all vary from each other to some degree in our essential biochemical makeup. This point is counter to Buddhist claims that there is no self. It is also counter to the point that character is formed only by experience and is not inborn.
Second, Sapolsky is clear that the communication between body and mind is a two way process. The body influences thought and the mind directs the body. This point avoids the dichotomous mind versus body debate. If our body's job is to survive and do well, the mind's job is to help the body. The mind picks up stimuli from the environment and modifies the body's reaction as a result. Through meditation and habit, Sapolski argues, the mind can even influence the ANS (autonomic nervous system).
Third, Sapolsky avoids another dichotomous argument, determination versus free will, by his commentary on learning. While there's a lot of "mechanistic stuff going on" that is the basis for our individuality, he argues that we also fundamentally modify ourselves based on our interaction with the environment. Here too, "learning" has a biochemical basis. We do not, as commonly thought, create new synapses (although, interestingly, he says with abstract thought we do grow more dentrites and this capacity continues well into old age). Rather, when we learn, we strengthen our neural pathways when something is interesting or highly relevant (but, notably, Sapolsky says that if the outside event is too traumatic, the body chemicals will prevent memory formation). Our capacity to modify behavior via free will is built into our evolutionary design and if survival and well-being is our determined, fixed End, learning offers us flexible ways (choice) to achieve that End.
This is an excellent set of lectures.
Sapolsky states that there are numerous places within the operation of the brain that account for our individuality and what makes us, "us." Neurotransmitters and receptors, sex hormones, limbic systems, memory networks, and the autonomic nervous system all vary in operation. Drugs help to illustrate the biochemical basis for how we operate. Some drugs fake out receptors; others block their operation. Some drugs amplify signals sent out and received and other drugs tranquilize them. Some drugs destroy the chemical vesicles that convey messages between cells. Sapolsky also notes the various pscychological disorders such as obsessive-compulsive (anxiety), depression (bi-polar and unipolar) and temporal lobe disorder (??) that all have a strong biochemical basis.
Sapolsky's lectures are informative and well-presented. There are three take home points. First, there's a strong material/chemical basis for who we are and our individuality. Sapolsky emphasizes the more obvious chemical basis for behavior and psychological disorders. While this could suggest variation from a norm of behavior where all are the same, Sapolsky's theme supports the notion that the norm (well-adjusted) is statistical, and that we all vary from each other to some degree in our essential biochemical makeup. This point is counter to Buddhist claims that there is no self. It is also counter to the point that character is formed only by experience and is not inborn.
Second, Sapolsky is clear that the communication between body and mind is a two way process. The body influences thought and the mind directs the body. This point avoids the dichotomous mind versus body debate. If our body's job is to survive and do well, the mind's job is to help the body. The mind picks up stimuli from the environment and modifies the body's reaction as a result. Through meditation and habit, Sapolski argues, the mind can even influence the ANS (autonomic nervous system).
Third, Sapolsky avoids another dichotomous argument, determination versus free will, by his commentary on learning. While there's a lot of "mechanistic stuff going on" that is the basis for our individuality, he argues that we also fundamentally modify ourselves based on our interaction with the environment. Here too, "learning" has a biochemical basis. We do not, as commonly thought, create new synapses (although, interestingly, he says with abstract thought we do grow more dentrites and this capacity continues well into old age). Rather, when we learn, we strengthen our neural pathways when something is interesting or highly relevant (but, notably, Sapolsky says that if the outside event is too traumatic, the body chemicals will prevent memory formation). Our capacity to modify behavior via free will is built into our evolutionary design and if survival and well-being is our determined, fixed End, learning offers us flexible ways (choice) to achieve that End.
This is an excellent set of lectures.
March 1, 2023
Wow, this one was epic!
Author Robert M. Sapolsky is an American neuroendocrinology researcher and author. He is currently a professor of biology, and professor of neurology and neurological sciences and, by courtesy, neurosurgery, at Stanford University.
Robert M. Sapolsky:
The course consists of 25 lectures, each ~2hrs. It is a videotaping of his course at Stanford University.
Prof. Sapolsky covers so much ground here. He lectures on neurobiology, neurochemistry and endocrinology, ethology, sexual behaviour, aggressive behaviour, schizophrenia, and many, many others in this course.
This was a huge course, in terms of both its scope and breadth. I thoroughly enjoyed every lecture. Sapolsky is such an effective communicator and teacher. He is the perfect example of what profs should strive for; covering complicated material in an interesting, engaging, and effective way. He is an excellent lecturer and speaker. Rarely do you see him even look at his notes, and he never peppers his thoughts with "uh's" and ah's." He knows his course material inside and out. He is an excellent teacher and communicator.
***********************
For those interested in behavioural biology, I can't recommend this course enough. The only negative I would add in my review is that the videotaping left a bit to be desired; namely the camera is very shaky, and moves around a lot, and the editor has a nasty habit of cutting him off mid-sentence (and thought) at the end of almost every lecture. But considering that this is a free lecture series posted for anyone on You Tube, you can't be too upset...
5 stars.
Author Robert M. Sapolsky is an American neuroendocrinology researcher and author. He is currently a professor of biology, and professor of neurology and neurological sciences and, by courtesy, neurosurgery, at Stanford University.
Robert M. Sapolsky:
The course consists of 25 lectures, each ~2hrs. It is a videotaping of his course at Stanford University.
Prof. Sapolsky covers so much ground here. He lectures on neurobiology, neurochemistry and endocrinology, ethology, sexual behaviour, aggressive behaviour, schizophrenia, and many, many others in this course.
This was a huge course, in terms of both its scope and breadth. I thoroughly enjoyed every lecture. Sapolsky is such an effective communicator and teacher. He is the perfect example of what profs should strive for; covering complicated material in an interesting, engaging, and effective way. He is an excellent lecturer and speaker. Rarely do you see him even look at his notes, and he never peppers his thoughts with "uh's" and ah's." He knows his course material inside and out. He is an excellent teacher and communicator.
***********************
For those interested in behavioural biology, I can't recommend this course enough. The only negative I would add in my review is that the videotaping left a bit to be desired; namely the camera is very shaky, and moves around a lot, and the editor has a nasty habit of cutting him off mid-sentence (and thought) at the end of almost every lecture. But considering that this is a free lecture series posted for anyone on You Tube, you can't be too upset...
5 stars.
January 10, 2022
Bizarrely, the person who introduced this course to me was my old art teacher (?). Since then I've spent easily over 50 hours obsessing over these lectures (most of those hours were spent rewinding because this guy speaks too fast for human comprehension sometimes). I used to think I was more of a humanities person but this guy decided to convert me to biology at the crux of life choices eleventh grade, but I guess it's better now than never (¿).
With every lecture, Sapolsky tracks the timeline from the occurrence of a behavior back to the hormonal irregularities of the previous day to the testosterone exposure in one's prenatal environment to the various selective pressures that led to evolution. And what the course comes to, is this mechanistic view that all behaviors are the results of an unfathomably complex chain of causes and effects, that there is no free will. Yet the idea is simultaneously profoundly humanist, because it suggests that every sin and every mistake is understandable by a universal system, that we are participating in a fascinatingly complex dance that always contains the possibility of falling into the arms of salvation.
He ended the lecture with this sentence:
"You don’t have to choose between being compassionate and being scientific. So go and do both. And good luck. "
With every lecture, Sapolsky tracks the timeline from the occurrence of a behavior back to the hormonal irregularities of the previous day to the testosterone exposure in one's prenatal environment to the various selective pressures that led to evolution. And what the course comes to, is this mechanistic view that all behaviors are the results of an unfathomably complex chain of causes and effects, that there is no free will. Yet the idea is simultaneously profoundly humanist, because it suggests that every sin and every mistake is understandable by a universal system, that we are participating in a fascinatingly complex dance that always contains the possibility of falling into the arms of salvation.
He ended the lecture with this sentence:
"You don’t have to choose between being compassionate and being scientific. So go and do both. And good luck. "
August 23, 2008
One of my new focus areas has been brain science, and this was yet another excellent way to advance my understanding.
Robert Sapolsky is a brilliant cognitive scientist at Stanford who has done important work on primates and aggression. In this series of audio lectures, which takes up about 12 hours (I listened to them exclusively during car commutes), he covers everything from the basics of how neurons work to how the brain develops, what evolution has to teach us about the way our brains function, and perhaps his biggest theme of all: that there is almost no way to separate the influences of genes and the environment (nature and nurture) for most mental conditions or functions.
Particularly fascinating were his lectures on epigenetics -- or how environmental conditions in the womb can influence genes in such a way that certain traits, like a propensity to be hypersensitive to stress -- can be passed on from generation to generation.
And of course, his long-term work on a baboon tribe and his research into aggression made that part of the series, which comes near the end, particularly strong.
In a philosophical postscript, he addresses the fear that some people have that science is simply turning us into a mechanistic bundle of cells and chemicals and physical processes, and somehow is obliterating the essential "us" that is inside. But he looks at it another way: The more we see how everyone is shaped by these biological forces, the more open and tolerant we can become. Studies have shown that many of us have an unconscious fear reaction to faces of people from another race -- until we are given information that allows us to know something about them. When that happens, the ancient evolutionary fear pattern diminishes. It's the lesson I think Sapolsky was trying to get across in this fascinating series.
Robert Sapolsky is a brilliant cognitive scientist at Stanford who has done important work on primates and aggression. In this series of audio lectures, which takes up about 12 hours (I listened to them exclusively during car commutes), he covers everything from the basics of how neurons work to how the brain develops, what evolution has to teach us about the way our brains function, and perhaps his biggest theme of all: that there is almost no way to separate the influences of genes and the environment (nature and nurture) for most mental conditions or functions.
Particularly fascinating were his lectures on epigenetics -- or how environmental conditions in the womb can influence genes in such a way that certain traits, like a propensity to be hypersensitive to stress -- can be passed on from generation to generation.
And of course, his long-term work on a baboon tribe and his research into aggression made that part of the series, which comes near the end, particularly strong.
In a philosophical postscript, he addresses the fear that some people have that science is simply turning us into a mechanistic bundle of cells and chemicals and physical processes, and somehow is obliterating the essential "us" that is inside. But he looks at it another way: The more we see how everyone is shaped by these biological forces, the more open and tolerant we can become. Studies have shown that many of us have an unconscious fear reaction to faces of people from another race -- until we are given information that allows us to know something about them. When that happens, the ancient evolutionary fear pattern diminishes. It's the lesson I think Sapolsky was trying to get across in this fascinating series.
July 29, 2023
Biology and Human Behavior was a great overall presentation. I am generally a fan of the content produced by the folks over at The Great Courses, and this one is one of the better courses offered by them.
Course presenter Robert M. Sapolsky is an American neuroendocrinology researcher and author. He is currently a professor of biology, and professor of neurology and neurological sciences and, by courtesy, neurosurgery, at Stanford University.
Robert M. Sapolsky:
Prof. Sapolsky has a great teaching style. He has an almost unique knack among his contemporaries for taking very complex information and relating it to the uninformed student in an easily digestible format that has them understanding the broad-based overview. All too often, many professors and authors swerve sharply into the weeds early on in their presentation, and drown the reader in a torrent of obscure and esoteric minutia; effectively losing the forest for the trees...
The formatting of this course is fairly typical for offerings from The Great Courses. The course is broken into 24 lectures, each ~30mins long.
The lectures are:
1 Biology and Behavior—An Introduction
2 The Basic Cells of the Nervous System
3 How Two Neurons Communicate
4 Learning and Synaptic Plasticity
5 The Dynamics of Interacting Neurons
6 The Limbic System
7 The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
8 The Regulation of Hormones by the Brain
9 The Regulation of the Brain by Hormones
10 The Evolution of Behavior
11 The Evolution of Behavior—Some Examples
12 Cooperation, Competition, and Neuroeconomics
13 What Do Genes Do? Microevolution of Genes
14 What Do Genes Do? Macroevolution of Genes
15 Behavior Genetics
16 Behavior Genetics and Prenatal Environment
17 An Introduction to Ethology
18 Neuroethology
19 The Neurobiology of Aggression I
20 The Neurobiology of Aggression II
21 Hormones and Aggression
22 Early Experience and Aggression
23 Evolution, Aggression, and Cooperation
24 A Summary
If I were to find fault with this series, I would note that almost all the content here strongly overlaps with his online course from Stanford University Human Behavioural Biology, as well as his other Great Course titles, and his book: Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst.
It would have been nice to have some new material presented...
***********************
Biology and Human Behavior was still an excellent stand-alone course. I would easily recommend it to anyone interested.
5 stars.
Course presenter Robert M. Sapolsky is an American neuroendocrinology researcher and author. He is currently a professor of biology, and professor of neurology and neurological sciences and, by courtesy, neurosurgery, at Stanford University.
Robert M. Sapolsky:
Prof. Sapolsky has a great teaching style. He has an almost unique knack among his contemporaries for taking very complex information and relating it to the uninformed student in an easily digestible format that has them understanding the broad-based overview. All too often, many professors and authors swerve sharply into the weeds early on in their presentation, and drown the reader in a torrent of obscure and esoteric minutia; effectively losing the forest for the trees...
The formatting of this course is fairly typical for offerings from The Great Courses. The course is broken into 24 lectures, each ~30mins long.
The lectures are:
1 Biology and Behavior—An Introduction
2 The Basic Cells of the Nervous System
3 How Two Neurons Communicate
4 Learning and Synaptic Plasticity
5 The Dynamics of Interacting Neurons
6 The Limbic System
7 The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
8 The Regulation of Hormones by the Brain
9 The Regulation of the Brain by Hormones
10 The Evolution of Behavior
11 The Evolution of Behavior—Some Examples
12 Cooperation, Competition, and Neuroeconomics
13 What Do Genes Do? Microevolution of Genes
14 What Do Genes Do? Macroevolution of Genes
15 Behavior Genetics
16 Behavior Genetics and Prenatal Environment
17 An Introduction to Ethology
18 Neuroethology
19 The Neurobiology of Aggression I
20 The Neurobiology of Aggression II
21 Hormones and Aggression
22 Early Experience and Aggression
23 Evolution, Aggression, and Cooperation
24 A Summary
If I were to find fault with this series, I would note that almost all the content here strongly overlaps with his online course from Stanford University Human Behavioural Biology, as well as his other Great Course titles, and his book: Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst.
It would have been nice to have some new material presented...
***********************
Biology and Human Behavior was still an excellent stand-alone course. I would easily recommend it to anyone interested.
5 stars.
March 28, 2017
Since it was an audio book, I can't say if you'll really going to have fun reading it or not but Robert Sapolsky has interesting ways to describe things so listeners will learn stuff and enjoy it.
August 16, 2021
I LOVED this course and Robert Sapolsky SO MUCH!
September 8, 2012
This was an audiobook lecture series of around 12 hours.
The study of biology, anatomy, genetics, and behavior is by no means new to me, in fact, most of this was review, but Sapolsky expresses it with a fascinating twist, often adding newly understood jewels that subtly change the entire spectrum. Rather than point mutations constantly causing tiny genetic shifts, entire gene activating sequences may be mismatched with other genes, turning them on and off again depending on environmental factors, creating wildly new behaviors to be tested in the wild. He stresses how much environmental impact has on genetic predispositions, which is why studies of twins are so valuable, but also shows data that the months before birth can be some of the most formative environmental factors, giving new insight into some of the "twins separated at birth" behavioral studies. Environmental factors become not just additive with genetic factors (like 2+3=5) but exponential in many cases (2+3=15 for example, perhaps a bad example but hard to explain in a single sentence). He talks about ethology, the study of behavior within its natural environment as opposed to in "the lab" setting.
A particular fascinating contradiction of genetic dogma was how environmental changes in genes can be passed on. For instance, how the environment of the mom on the growing fetus can actually change genetic expression in her child, which then become passed onto the grandchildren.
He also makes an effort to disregard the notion that a gene dictates a behavior. It's simply never so simple.
A lot of the latter half focused on the biology that drives aggression, which is why I chose this in the first place. From the frontal cortex holding you back, to the amygdala letting you loose, it becomes a very interesting discussion. He shows studies where aggression is not activated or created by varying levels of testosterone (within the normal range as opposed to 'roid rage) but it is increased in intensity by aggression. He describes it as testosterone will turn up the volume on a given song, but won't start the song in the first place. While this is the most fascinating part of the lectures, I felt he made slight assumptions or leaps between examples that may have been guided by personal preferences more than pure science. Regardless, he is a wonderful teacher and I found these lectures edge-of-my-seat fascinating to listen to and will most likely listen to them again.
The study of biology, anatomy, genetics, and behavior is by no means new to me, in fact, most of this was review, but Sapolsky expresses it with a fascinating twist, often adding newly understood jewels that subtly change the entire spectrum. Rather than point mutations constantly causing tiny genetic shifts, entire gene activating sequences may be mismatched with other genes, turning them on and off again depending on environmental factors, creating wildly new behaviors to be tested in the wild. He stresses how much environmental impact has on genetic predispositions, which is why studies of twins are so valuable, but also shows data that the months before birth can be some of the most formative environmental factors, giving new insight into some of the "twins separated at birth" behavioral studies. Environmental factors become not just additive with genetic factors (like 2+3=5) but exponential in many cases (2+3=15 for example, perhaps a bad example but hard to explain in a single sentence). He talks about ethology, the study of behavior within its natural environment as opposed to in "the lab" setting.
A particular fascinating contradiction of genetic dogma was how environmental changes in genes can be passed on. For instance, how the environment of the mom on the growing fetus can actually change genetic expression in her child, which then become passed onto the grandchildren.
He also makes an effort to disregard the notion that a gene dictates a behavior. It's simply never so simple.
A lot of the latter half focused on the biology that drives aggression, which is why I chose this in the first place. From the frontal cortex holding you back, to the amygdala letting you loose, it becomes a very interesting discussion. He shows studies where aggression is not activated or created by varying levels of testosterone (within the normal range as opposed to 'roid rage) but it is increased in intensity by aggression. He describes it as testosterone will turn up the volume on a given song, but won't start the song in the first place. While this is the most fascinating part of the lectures, I felt he made slight assumptions or leaps between examples that may have been guided by personal preferences more than pure science. Regardless, he is a wonderful teacher and I found these lectures edge-of-my-seat fascinating to listen to and will most likely listen to them again.
May 20, 2021
Mind melting stuff. Professor Sapolsky explains human behaviour biology starting from a neuro chemistry evolutionary perspective and moves into a more macro lens of socio-political settings, environmental factors and controversially parallelism between religion and mental illness. Basically he explains how the human brain functions or more aptly how much of it we can explain.
February 26, 2016
In my opinion, no one does a better job of explaining neuroscience with such passion and thoroughness. Sapolsky doesn't shy away from providing the nitty gritty, but you cannot help but be completely engrossed and entertained as you learn complex neuroscience.
October 24, 2017
Overwhelmingly technical but terribly interesting. Great fodder for conversational tidbits.
May 3, 2025
This lecture series is a bit dated (2005), but still provides a wealth of fundamental knowledge of and insight into different aspects of human behaviour and the complexity of its context and causation. There is a lot of overlap between these lectures and his public Stanford course on Human Behavioral Biology. Both are highly recommended, though I personally prefer the Stanford course. I'm looking forward to read or listen to his book "Behave: The Biology of Humans at our Best and Worst" soon!
Robert Sapolsky is one of the best lecturers/professors I have witnessed, and overall one of the coolest, smartest, and most likable people I "know". The witty remarks and entertaining anecdotes are perfect to balance out the seriousness of these topics. He has perfected the art of lecturing in my opinion. Hopefully he will play a future role in the area of science, public education, and possibly some cultural-political influence as well, since understanding the complexities of human biology and behaviour will help us understand ánd shape our societies more effectively and ethically.
Our shared excitement for the metatheory of complex, dynamical systems analysis did not surprise me, but expanded my appreciation for him. It will be critical as a paradigm shift in thinking to make more sense of several complex systems within our Universe and human and natural environments.
His work is highly recommended!
Robert Sapolsky is one of the best lecturers/professors I have witnessed, and overall one of the coolest, smartest, and most likable people I "know". The witty remarks and entertaining anecdotes are perfect to balance out the seriousness of these topics. He has perfected the art of lecturing in my opinion. Hopefully he will play a future role in the area of science, public education, and possibly some cultural-political influence as well, since understanding the complexities of human biology and behaviour will help us understand ánd shape our societies more effectively and ethically.
Our shared excitement for the metatheory of complex, dynamical systems analysis did not surprise me, but expanded my appreciation for him. It will be critical as a paradigm shift in thinking to make more sense of several complex systems within our Universe and human and natural environments.
His work is highly recommended!
May 9, 2022
"In the end, basically, the purpose of science is not to cure us of our sense of mystery and wonder, but to constantly reinvent it and reinvigorate it."
Excellent course, but Dr. Sapolsky's books and courses are always excellent and fascinating. I envy his students. He sets a very brisk pace, but frequently refers back to previous material as he builds on it. This entire series was interesting and enjoyable, and I especially appreciate how he concluded on a positive note. (I also think he's far more optimistic about society than we deserve, but that's OK.)
This particular Great Course is an older one, so a little dated in the specifics and research described, but the general points imparted -- and, more importantly, the questions Dr. Sapolsky asks and processes he outlines -- are solid. I sort of miss these old format GCs where the lecturer has an actual audience in front of him/her. They may be low on snazzy graphics and polish sometimes, but the presenter's often looked and sounded more natural and animated.
It was by accident I listened to this GC immediately after Jason Bivens' GC "Thinking about Religion and Violence," but the two compliment each other in an unexpected way as Dr. Bivens discusses the "othering" we use to justify violence in religion and culture while Dr. Sapolsky in this GC describes what's going on in the brain and limbic system during this "othering" response.
Excellent course, but Dr. Sapolsky's books and courses are always excellent and fascinating. I envy his students. He sets a very brisk pace, but frequently refers back to previous material as he builds on it. This entire series was interesting and enjoyable, and I especially appreciate how he concluded on a positive note. (I also think he's far more optimistic about society than we deserve, but that's OK.)
This particular Great Course is an older one, so a little dated in the specifics and research described, but the general points imparted -- and, more importantly, the questions Dr. Sapolsky asks and processes he outlines -- are solid. I sort of miss these old format GCs where the lecturer has an actual audience in front of him/her. They may be low on snazzy graphics and polish sometimes, but the presenter's often looked and sounded more natural and animated.
It was by accident I listened to this GC immediately after Jason Bivens' GC "Thinking about Religion and Violence," but the two compliment each other in an unexpected way as Dr. Bivens discusses the "othering" we use to justify violence in religion and culture while Dr. Sapolsky in this GC describes what's going on in the brain and limbic system during this "othering" response.
May 6, 2021
Informative and engaging at the same time. I listened to this book in large binges and could grasp it without getting tired or bored. Sometimes it felt like the author drew big generalizations out of what scientific findings suggested and therefore felt a little bit like pop science-y--especially near the end of the book when he discussed behaviours-- but the overall teaching followed the scientific findings and possible explanations and I very much enjoyed it.
August 14, 2023
10/10, no notes.
September 29, 2010
This is one of the best courses from The Teaching Company that I've listened to so far. Dr. Sapolsky is a unique scientist who does both basic molecular/cell biology research (neuroendocrinology, genetics, gene therapy) as well as field research on primates. He makes a trip to Africa every year or so that involves shooting baboons with blow darts to study stress.
I really liked these meaty lectures, and you could easily profit from listening to these lectures more than once. What I really liked is his comprehensive and nuanced approach to biology and human behavior: he takes you through a tour from the workings of single neuron all the way through a case study on how to understand aggression. Along the way, you learn how the brain works, evolutionary arguments for behavior, neuroeconomics, game theory applied to behavior, behavioral genetics approaches (pros and cons), ethology and neuroethology, and lots more. And he has a mesmerizing explanatory style that keeps you coming back for more.
Two points stand out as a write this review:
1. Humans have a tendency to compartmentalize, e.g., instead of taking a nuanced, multidisciplinary approach, we look for a single explanation. For example, explaining aggressive behavior because the individual has the "aggression" gene. He argues against this way of approaching behavior. If we neglect his advice, we'll end up focusing on the trees, but missing the forest. We'll also miss out on the richness of using different approaches in our explanatory toolkit.
2. Non-scientists sometimes argue that increased scientific knowledge takes away wonder. In one sense, it certainly does. When you know the explanation for the colors in the rainbow, you no longer ask, "Why are the colors that way?." But in another sense, science increases wonder and awe. A deeper understanding of the science leads to a deeper appreciation and awe of the workings of nature. So science's purpose is to constantly reinvent and reinvigorate our sense of awe and wonder. And there are always more questions out there...
I really liked these meaty lectures, and you could easily profit from listening to these lectures more than once. What I really liked is his comprehensive and nuanced approach to biology and human behavior: he takes you through a tour from the workings of single neuron all the way through a case study on how to understand aggression. Along the way, you learn how the brain works, evolutionary arguments for behavior, neuroeconomics, game theory applied to behavior, behavioral genetics approaches (pros and cons), ethology and neuroethology, and lots more. And he has a mesmerizing explanatory style that keeps you coming back for more.
Two points stand out as a write this review:
1. Humans have a tendency to compartmentalize, e.g., instead of taking a nuanced, multidisciplinary approach, we look for a single explanation. For example, explaining aggressive behavior because the individual has the "aggression" gene. He argues against this way of approaching behavior. If we neglect his advice, we'll end up focusing on the trees, but missing the forest. We'll also miss out on the richness of using different approaches in our explanatory toolkit.
2. Non-scientists sometimes argue that increased scientific knowledge takes away wonder. In one sense, it certainly does. When you know the explanation for the colors in the rainbow, you no longer ask, "Why are the colors that way?." But in another sense, science increases wonder and awe. A deeper understanding of the science leads to a deeper appreciation and awe of the workings of nature. So science's purpose is to constantly reinvent and reinvigorate our sense of awe and wonder. And there are always more questions out there...
February 4, 2021
"The purpose of science is not to cure us of our sense of mystery and wonder, but to constantly reinvent and reinvigorate it." -Robert Sapolski
In teaching, more than many other professions, the notion that "the medium is the message" rings most true. Everyone who has ever been in a class knows that it matters little "what you teach" compared to "how you teach it". More importantly, it is how you teach that speaks for who you are.
Having watched these 30-40 hours of advanced biology lectures when they are nowhere remotely near to my own field of specialty, what kept me hooked was Sapolski himself. This utter awe at what a competent lecturer looks like, even if you can't grasp a lot of the small details.
The well-researched content, the elegance of simplifying and providing examples, the constant focus on what is essential rather than the minutiae, the humor (way more than jokes, it's the sense that the guy is having great fun), the open-mindedness, the awareness of how complex life is and how similar we all are, the genuine care for students, and having a genuine, unshakable sense of wonder. It's all there, and that doesn't even begin to describe it. I have only seen a handful of lecturers of this calibre.
In the first lecture, Sapolski boldly claims that everyone should take this subject at gunpoint.
So, should everyone learn human behavioral biology at gunpoint? Eh, not really.
Should everyone watch Human Behavioral Biology by Robert Sapolski at gunpoint? Absolutely!
In teaching, more than many other professions, the notion that "the medium is the message" rings most true. Everyone who has ever been in a class knows that it matters little "what you teach" compared to "how you teach it". More importantly, it is how you teach that speaks for who you are.
Having watched these 30-40 hours of advanced biology lectures when they are nowhere remotely near to my own field of specialty, what kept me hooked was Sapolski himself. This utter awe at what a competent lecturer looks like, even if you can't grasp a lot of the small details.
The well-researched content, the elegance of simplifying and providing examples, the constant focus on what is essential rather than the minutiae, the humor (way more than jokes, it's the sense that the guy is having great fun), the open-mindedness, the awareness of how complex life is and how similar we all are, the genuine care for students, and having a genuine, unshakable sense of wonder. It's all there, and that doesn't even begin to describe it. I have only seen a handful of lecturers of this calibre.
In the first lecture, Sapolski boldly claims that everyone should take this subject at gunpoint.
So, should everyone learn human behavioral biology at gunpoint? Eh, not really.
Should everyone watch Human Behavioral Biology by Robert Sapolski at gunpoint? Absolutely!
April 11, 2020
2018.02.04–2018.02.06
Contents
Sapolsky RM (2005) (12:00) Biology and Human Behavior - The Neurological Origins of Individuality, 2nd Edition
01. Biology and Behavior—An Introduction
02. The Basic Cells of the Nervous System
03. How Two Neurons Communicate
04. Learning and Synaptic Plasticity
05. The Dynamics of Interacting Neurons
06. The Limbic System
07. The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
08. The Regulation of Hormones by the Brain
09. The Regulation of the Brain by Hormones
10. The Evolution of Behavior
11. The Evolution of Behavior—Some Examples
12. Cooperation, Competition, and Neuroeconomics
13. What Do Genes Do? Microevolution of Genes
14. What Do Genes Do? Macroevolution of Genes
15. Behavior Genetics
16. Behavior Genetics and Prenatal Environment
17. An Introduction to Ethology
18. Neuroethology
19. The Neurobiology of Aggression I
20. The Neurobiology of Aggression II
21. Hormones and Aggression
22. Early Experience and Aggression
23. Evolution, Aggression, and Cooperation
24. A Summary
Contents
Sapolsky RM (2005) (12:00) Biology and Human Behavior - The Neurological Origins of Individuality, 2nd Edition
01. Biology and Behavior—An Introduction
02. The Basic Cells of the Nervous System
03. How Two Neurons Communicate
04. Learning and Synaptic Plasticity
05. The Dynamics of Interacting Neurons
06. The Limbic System
07. The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
08. The Regulation of Hormones by the Brain
09. The Regulation of the Brain by Hormones
10. The Evolution of Behavior
11. The Evolution of Behavior—Some Examples
12. Cooperation, Competition, and Neuroeconomics
13. What Do Genes Do? Microevolution of Genes
14. What Do Genes Do? Macroevolution of Genes
15. Behavior Genetics
16. Behavior Genetics and Prenatal Environment
17. An Introduction to Ethology
18. Neuroethology
19. The Neurobiology of Aggression I
20. The Neurobiology of Aggression II
21. Hormones and Aggression
22. Early Experience and Aggression
23. Evolution, Aggression, and Cooperation
24. A Summary
May 21, 2020
The good: Sapolsky is super engaging and does a wonderful job exploring biologist in all its complexity. He is emphatic and consistent in his belief that any particular behavior phenomenon has multiple causes at multiple levels, from neurons genes to brain anatomy and physiology to environmental effects.
The bad: he neglects cognition and ideas almost entirely. C’mon! How can you try to describe human biology without talking about how humans hold ideas, how ideas contribute to behavior?! I find this to be a glaring omission, especially after he insists that behavior is multiply determined. He even tried to explain human violence without talking about ideas. What about criminogenic cognitions? What about people’s’ beliefs about violence? Nothing about either of these issues.
The bad: he neglects cognition and ideas almost entirely. C’mon! How can you try to describe human biology without talking about how humans hold ideas, how ideas contribute to behavior?! I find this to be a glaring omission, especially after he insists that behavior is multiply determined. He even tried to explain human violence without talking about ideas. What about criminogenic cognitions? What about people’s’ beliefs about violence? Nothing about either of these issues.
July 5, 2021
Very interesting lecture. See all the other reviews for the pros. However, be weary that many of the studies presented have failed to be replicated, or have been replicated but with weaker results.
I will give one example. In one lecture Sapolsky mentions the "Stanford marshmallow experiment". This experiment suggests that children that cannot contain themselves from eating a marshmallow for a set amount of minutes tend to do worse in life. This study has been recently debunked.
Like that study there are many others, too many to list. This is what is called the replication crisis and is an on-going problem in experimental science and psychology.
I will give one example. In one lecture Sapolsky mentions the "Stanford marshmallow experiment". This experiment suggests that children that cannot contain themselves from eating a marshmallow for a set amount of minutes tend to do worse in life. This study has been recently debunked.
Like that study there are many others, too many to list. This is what is called the replication crisis and is an on-going problem in experimental science and psychology.
March 5, 2024
I could listen to Dr. Sapolsky lecture for hours. It’s clear to me why he’s one of the leaders in his field. Over 20+ lectures, he teaches you how to think critically like a scientist. He takes you from an introduction to the biology of behavior to the ability to understand the nuanced biological and environmental factors that play a role in aggression. Basically, aggression is not as simple and straightforward as many make it seem. He introduces you to neurons, parts of the brain like the limbic system, hormones, the evolution of behavior, genetics, game theory, and ethology, and then uses information from those topics to explain how to understand aggression.
November 3, 2020
Sapolsky is the most amazing lecturer I've ever listened to, and his lectures are mandatory for those who want to be informed, and not just opiniated.
"Fixing a clock and fixing a cloud is not the same." :)
"Fixing a clock and fixing a cloud is not the same." :)
January 19, 2022
I truly love him so much… his lectures were so fascinating, the way he connects with people is brilliant and his sense of humour combined with his neuro knowledge is just perfect!!! I will start reading his book next week!
December 22, 2019
Extremely highly recommended!
March 23, 2021
I think everyone should know about this.
June 28, 2021
Технически лекции начитаны очень профессионально.
Правильный темп, расставлены интонации, без ненужной театральности.
Но содержание мне совсем не понравилось.
Я не стал существенно снижать оценку только потому, что можно это воспринимать как то, что я не целевая аудитория.
Лектор существенную часть времени рассказывает совершенно базовые вещи.
Казалось бы, известные каждому школьнику.
Местами встречаются логические неувязки, спорные выводы. А то и целые разделы - например, лектор увлеченно рассказывает лимбическую систему, которая при всей ее логичности и привлекательности, уже давно считается неверной.
Но она настолько размытая, а в совершенно абстрактном изложении лектора настолько неконкретна, что в таком изложении невозможно придраться к чему-либо, кроме самого названия теории. Но то, что под этим названием излагает лектор, в общем-то, ничему не противоречит.
Просто все это ужасно неконкретно.
Я дослушал до конца по двум причинам.
Во-1х как ненапряжная фоновая практика английского аудирования.
Во-2х лектор действительно хорошо читает, даже безотносительно тривиальности смысла.
Кстати, впервые встретился с аудиоверсией лекции The Great Courses, при прослушивании которой жалеешь, что не смотришь видео. Обычно видео очень вторично, но в данной лекции автор часто ссылается на показываемые им слайды. Поскольку я и так знал, что что лектор рассказывал, для меня это не создавало проблем. Но если лекцию хочется прослушать именно с целью получения знаний - что вообще-то вроде бы совершенно естественно желание, то лучше выбрать видео-формат.
Правильный темп, расставлены интонации, без ненужной театральности.
Но содержание мне совсем не понравилось.
Я не стал существенно снижать оценку только потому, что можно это воспринимать как то, что я не целевая аудитория.
Лектор существенную часть времени рассказывает совершенно базовые вещи.
Казалось бы, известные каждому школьнику.
Местами встречаются логические неувязки, спорные выводы. А то и целые разделы - например, лектор увлеченно рассказывает лимбическую систему, которая при всей ее логичности и привлекательности, уже давно считается неверной.
Но она настолько размытая, а в совершенно абстрактном изложении лектора настолько неконкретна, что в таком изложении невозможно придраться к чему-либо, кроме самого названия теории. Но то, что под этим названием излагает лектор, в общем-то, ничему не противоречит.
Просто все это ужасно неконкретно.
Я дослушал до конца по двум причинам.
Во-1х как ненапряжная фоновая практика английского аудирования.
Во-2х лектор действительно хорошо читает, даже безотносительно тривиальности смысла.
Кстати, впервые встретился с аудиоверсией лекции The Great Courses, при прослушивании которой жалеешь, что не смотришь видео. Обычно видео очень вторично, но в данной лекции автор часто ссылается на показываемые им слайды. Поскольку я и так знал, что что лектор рассказывал, для меня это не создавало проблем. Но если лекцию хочется прослушать именно с целью получения знаний - что вообще-то вроде бы совершенно естественно желание, то лучше выбрать видео-формат.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews