January 31, 2024

Dr. Robert Sapolsky - Korea Determined

1 hour 1 minute

In communicating with each other before this conversation, Robert asked me to explain certain aspects of Korean culture to him. If you find yourself frustrated that we sometimes hear more about Korea than his own work, I completely agree with you and apologize. Nevertheless, that was part of what was established. My sense is that he also might have wanted a break from explaining his latest book to everyone. We've since realized that we need to look more into the rice production in Korea and I hope that we can find out more of if and how that might have affected Korean culture, particularly in terms of interdependency and human relationships.

I highly recommend his latest book Determined. It genuinely made me rethink much of what I see around me. And, even if you don't find yourself ultimately convinced by his argument concerning free will, you will still learn lots and be treated to writing that is as comfortable making jokes and never taking itself too seriously as it is explaining the hard science.

Bio: Robert Sapolsky is a professor of biology, neuroscience, and neurosurgery at Stanford University, well-known for his research on stress and behavior in wild baboons, as well as his studies on the physiology of the brain. His approach to understanding the complexities of human behavior has made him a respected figure in both the scientific and popular science communities. His latest book, Determined, argues that it is time for us to remove agency from our behavior and stop attributing praise and blame to people for things over which they often have very little control.

Determined: https://www.amazon.com/Determined-Science-Life-without-Free/dp/0525560971

My favourite lecture from him: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRYcSuyLiJk

Discussion Outline

0:00 How Did Korea Get Here?

7:15 Rice Theory of Culture

13:55 Do We Have Free Will?

32:56 Changing Morality

37:00 Birthrates

45:15 Transhumanism?

54:40 Death

1:03:45 Closing Questions

Korea Deconstructed by David Tizzard