Biology and Human Behavior: The Neurological Origins of Individuality, 2nd Edition

By: Robert Sapolsky, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Robert Sapolsky

Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

When are we responsible for our own actions, and when are we in the grip of biological forces beyond our control? What determines who we fall in love with? The intensity of our spiritual lives? The degree of our aggressive impulses?

These questions fall into the scientific province of behavioral biology, the field that explores interactions between the brain, mind, body, and environment that have a surprising influence on how we behave. In short, how our brains make us the individuals we are.

In this series of 24 fascinating lectures by a prominent neurobiologist, zoologist, and MacArthur Foundation "genius" grant recipient, you'll investigate how the human brain is sculpted by evolution, constrained or freed by genes, shaped by early experience, modulated by hormones, and otherwise influenced to produce a wide range of behaviors, some of them abnormal. And you'll learn how little can be explained by thinking about any of these factors alone, because some combination of influences is almost always at work.

Professor Sapolsky includes a provocative exploration of the implications of our emerging understanding of the origins of individual differences, considering such questions as: How much do these insights threaten our own sense of self and individuality? Where do we draw the line between the essence of the person and the biological abnormalities? What counts as being ill? Who is biologically impaired, and who is just different? As more and more subtle abnormalities of neurobiology are understood, how much should we worry about the temptation to label people as "abnormal"? And what happens when we each have a few of these labels?

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2005 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2005 The Great Courses

Very interesting course but mistitled

The course focuses on aggression and not individuality. The course is very interesting, though, and we'll worth the time.

It's a must

The first few chapters are a little difficult, but once you get to chapter 11 everything starts to shift. It's a book you must read if you enjoy learning about behaviour!

wonderful intro for lay people

The author is very good at explaining complex topics in a easy to understand way for lay people.

This is a feedback for audible primarily, One thing i would have loved is for the reference diagrams to have popped up at appropriate time. Actually i was not able to locate it in the audible app.

important for any scientific minded human

This course crystalized my intuition about many of these subject providing me with important scientific finds that supported it.

NO Companion Outline mentioned and referenced.

What would have made Biology and Human Behavior: The Neurological Origins of Individuality, 2nd Edition better?

If visual material (outline) referenced in the audio continuously would be part of the program it would deserve 5 stars.

When purchasing, there is no mention of the requirement suggested by the Teaching Company. This turns the Program into a simple audio product w/out study material and no possibility of following the excitement the lectures generate.

Professor Sapolsky is always worth listening to, but if you want to study and reflect on his lectures this is NOT your product. Turn to the Teaching Company and buy the DVD.

Being a Platinum member I am disappointed. First and last time I will purchase a Great Teachers program.

Life changing neuroscience

If you could sum up Biology and Human Behavior: The Neurological Origins of Individuality, 2nd Edition in three words, what would they be?

Cutting edge neuroscience!

What did you like best about this story?

The professor really knows how to captivate an audience. His tonal inflections keep you from drifting off as well as hanging onto the edge of your seat. The speed in which he delivers the content is perfect for me. I'm only just getting started on my life journey of becoming a neuroscientist and Professor Robert Sapolsky has now served to equally inspire me as much as my neuroscience hero Dr Bruce Perry! The only thing that could possibly make this better is a downloadable file of power points that he used or handouts to help reinforce picture representations of difficult concepts. Apart from that, this lecture is nothing short of amazing and life changing!

Have you listened to any of Professor Robert Sapolsky’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I haven't listened to the Professor previously, however I will endeavor to one day download all of his audio books if they are anything like the quality delivered in this audio book.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Finally being able to understand how neurons work and communicate to each other. Understanding the process of learning and beginning to understand the processes behind the lymbic system.

Wonderful scientific story about human mind

So many thought provoking discussions, I'm impressed. The narrator presents material in a playful and intriguing form with countless real life examples.

narrator is good!

Really enjoyed the narrator. You can tell when someone truly loves the topic they're teaching. You will need at least a first year of college level of understanding of biology to be able to parse all of the lessons. taught in an engaging way and is not too dry for academic content. lots of examples and ancedotes used to illustrate the real life implications of biological mechanisms that were explained.

Well done and Interesting

Great primer into subject. I say primer as I have had no in depth studies outside of this course in the area of learning.

HUMAN BEHAVIOR

Sapolsky’s lectures begin with optimism. He infers one can understand the biological origin of human behavior. However, as the lectures progress one becomes skeptical. By the end of Sapolsky’s lectures, the source of human behavior seems too complex for human understanding. In a future age, it may be possible to reduce uncertainty, but determination of the sources of human behavior are likely to remain a probabilistic endeavor.

Every country of the world is populated with people like the wildebeest. Until the world is one herd, it seems humans are destined to lose their way as a species. The river to cross is the world’s environmental crises. With disparate herds in the world, the alligator in the river (our environment) will eat us all.