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
Not a whole lot of us are wrestling somebody for a canned food item in the supermarket or having an ax fight in the jungle clearing. Instead, we sit and think about taxes and the ozone layer.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the modern human condition, contrasting trivial concerns with the primal struggles of survival.
Robert Sapolsky's quote highlights the complexities of contemporary life, where individuals often find themselves preoccupied with mundane issues, such as taxes and environmental concerns, rather than engaging in the direct, survival-based conflicts of earlier human existence. It suggests a shift in focus from immediate physical survival to abstract intellectual challenges, provoking thought about what constitutes true struggle in today's society.
Themes
Modern LifePrimal StruggleExistential ThoughtHuman ConditionSurvival
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about modern anxieties, one might refer to this quote to emphasize the absurdity of our worries compared to historical survival challenges.
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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.
Robert SapolskyRead
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.
Robert SapolskyRead
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