I used to very politely say that if there is free will then it's in all sorts of boring places, like whether you're going to pick up this or that fork as you begin your meal. There really is none: It's all biology.
Robert SapolskyRead
If you spend enough time around something like baboons, you start to look at humans differently.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Interacting with other species can change our perception of humanity.
This quote by Robert Sapolsky highlights the idea that spending time observing or interacting with animals, such as baboons, can lead to a profound reassessment of what it means to be human. It suggests that understanding other beings can offer insights into our own behavior, social structures, and emotional experiences, ultimately fostering a greater empathy and connection with the animal kingdom and our own species.
Themes
BaboonsHumanityPerspectiveAnimalsObservation
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on evolution, one could use this quote to emphasize the connections between species.
More from Robert Sapolsky
All quotes →When you've wised up enough, there is a very clear conclusion that you have to reach after a while, which is, at the end of the day, it is really impossible for one person to make a difference.
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My adolescent rebellions took the form of, if anything, passive aggressively doing what was asked of me but doing it ten times more than what was asked of me, so that eventually they'd have to beg me to stop.
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When humans invented material inequality, they came up with a way of subjugating the low-ranking like nothing ever seen before in the primate world.
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Yes, genes are important for understanding our behavior. Incredibly important - after all, they code for every protein pertinent to brain function, endocrinology, etc., etc. But the regulation of genes is often more interesting than the genes themselves, and it's the environment that regulates genes.
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I expected social rank to be the determining factor in health, and in some ways that's true. But far more important is what sort of society that rank occurs in. Being low ranking in a benevolent troop is a hell of a lot better for your blood pressure than being low ranking in an aggressive troop.
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