Robert Sapolsky - Korea Determined

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: www.amazon.com/Determined-Sci...
My favourite lecture from him: • Robert Sapolsky: The B...
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
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▶ Music: Mindstrap by David Tizzard

[@andrewofaiur]

First time discovering your channel and I am so glad I did. As a Korean-American, I'm always seeking sources to help me understand my roots and identity better and people like you, intelligent westerners living in Korea, helps me tremendously in gaining and articulating perspectives on such matter. Congratulations on getting Robert Sapolsky on the channel as I'm sure your channel will have much more exposure through this episode. He was an amazing listener as well, a true gentleman. I have so many questions and would love to have a long form discussion one day, but one question I'd like to ask anyone living in Korea is this: If it's not too personal to ask, with the falling birthrates signaling a soon-to-come massive economic consequences, do you still see yourself raising your family in Korea? The crux of the question is I guess, do you have hope for the future of Korea? Other topics I would like to hear your opinions on are: -With the rise of K-culture, global markets are tuning in but that also means foreign values are being imposed on Korean society. To be marketable, a product must meet the demands of its consumers but will this have a transformative effect on Korean culture for better or worse? From this, we can talk about so many social issues like gender roles (As I'm sure you're an expert on this being a professor at a Women's University), beauty standards, and even dog meat. -Controversial issue, but where do you see Korean-Japanese relations going in the future? Will the scars of war ever heal or is picking at the scabs too useful for politicians to ever let go? (I understand this may be a loaded question) and what is a Westerner's perspective on this? As a British person, how do you think British-German relations progressed but in that same span of time, Korean-Japanese relations stagnated? -How did/does religion shape Korean culture and what are its ramifications on the current state of affairs in Korea? Korea is notoriously one of the most secular countries in the world while having one of the most fanatical Christian communities (another example that proves your point that Korea lives at the extreme). Does Korea suffer from a MEANING crisis? Where can and should Koreans derive purpose? I usually don't write such lengthy comments on podcasts but you struck me as someone who is highly curious and intelligent on matters relating to Korea so I felt compelled to indulge. Thank you if you read the comment. I shall go watch your episode with Professor Mark Peterson now as I'm sure that will be a treat.

[@DavidTizzard]

Greetings from Seoul. Thank you for this deeply curious post. It's wonderful to have you in the conversation. And yes, Robert is an incredibly humble person, isn't he?! There's a lot to try and unpack here. I would perhaps start by pointing you to my weekly column in the Korea Times where I explore a lot of the topics you have asked about. A recent piece entitled "Korea is Antifragile", specifically. I have a great faith in the Korean people to overcome adversity and, as the country is safe, relatively drug-free, and provides excellent health care and education, will continue to raise them here in the country that they call home. I'm actually currently pondering writing a piece called "Re-Koreanization" about how members of the diaspora reconnect with their homeland and how, everything else aside, the rise of Hallyu and K-culture has given many people a renewed confidence in their identity... I will say for the questions on religion and Korea-Japanese relations, we explored these at length in a episode recorded this week with a gentleman called Anton Scholz. He first came to Korea in 1994, speaks flawless Korean, and has some incredible views on what is taking place in these two domains. I was struck by his bravery and courage in talking so openly about them actually because history, particularly vis-a-vis Japan is a topic that can get people in serious trouble here very quickly. The episode you mentioned with Peterson is a great one. Thank you for the interest. I'm not sure I've answered all your questions here over coffee this morning but am always happy to do so. Thank you for saying hello and please feel free to keep in touch.

[@DavidTizzard]

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. Please go and explore the rest of his work and read his books. It's fascinating stuff. My favourite lecture he has given is included in the description notes.

[@Bart-rp5kf]

I was born in 92 but I have one similarity with Robert Sapolsky, I also discovered that there is no free will when I was young, it really changes everything and eliminates ego

[@DavidTizzard]

Can I ask how/why you came to your realization? I've recently discovered, for example, the work of Bernardo Kastro and he also doesn't believe in free will but does so, as far as I understand, for very different reasons to Robert...

[@burtonsschool9532]

I watched Mark Manson's video on South Korea's depression. He mentioned that things are "all or nothing." I noted that I struggle to articulate how my school's curriculum project is a forever project. Then listening to Robert and you talk about how happyiness is in pursuit. I am also surprised to hear that you don't have a voice inside your head. I like following your podcast because there are some common threads. Thank you for the great work.

[@DavidTizzard]

"It's not the pursuit of happiness, it's the happiness of the pursuit" - fantastic line. And something I find to be very true. In terms of forever projects, another amazing line I read recently: Geniuses invent their predecessors. It's a beautiful thing to try and create amazing people. To do for others, rather than ourselves. Thank you always for the support for the content. It means a lot.

[@raenakim-geyer]

I’m so looking forward to listening to this! Thank you Professor!!

[@DavidTizzard]

Thank YOU. The support, the comments, and the positive vibes are a beautiful thing.

[@PClanner]

To my way of thinking, Robert's work is a process that has be be subjected to reality, which means that it must clash with different cultures and ideas, so I welcome this type of dialogue. Thank you for posting this.

[@DavidTizzard]

Thank you for being part of the conversation. All a learning process for us all.

[@elisabeth73]

Oh this came in my feed. Robert Sapolsky is someone I greatly admire and Korea is such an intresting booming country.

[@DavidTizzard]

It's a wonderful combination, isn't it?!

[@elisabeth73]

@@DavidTizzard Indeed!

[@user-pz2lt7ox1r]

Thank you for this video

[@DavidTizzard]

thank YOU for joining the conversation

[@bretta7057]

Haha! I just commented on the Kastrup interview, about how I didn’t understand the Korean connection, but loved hearing another interview with one of my intellectual heroes…and now here’s another one with another one of my intellectual heroes who has no clear Korea connection😂 Assuming the answer here is the same as you told me for Bernardo: you just wanted to talk to Sapolsky, but I greatly admire that, and seems to be testament to the quality of your content, that you can get random brilliant minds that have little to nothing to do with deconstructing Korea on your show😂❤️

[@DavidTizzard]

So very kind of you to say. And, again, I think all credit goes to these beautiful minds for having the kindness and generosity to speak with me. Despite their obvious brilliance, they are both so very humble and real when communicating with me. That alone has reminded me that whoever we are in society, we can at least be kind and generous to those around us. And thank YOU for the support in watching and commenting on these videos. It is nice to have you in the conversation. I might suggest the one with Anton Scholz next. There is a lot of great value in that man's mind, too.

[@amusicment4829]

Super interesting, thank you

[@DavidTizzard]

Thank YOU. Appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment.

[@rajalwa]

wonderful conversation

[@DavidTizzard]

Thank you for listening

[@user-gc2wt3dx7q]

I love the idea of 'positive' gaslighting.

[@DavidTizzard]

I think you're the first person to pick-up on that idea of mine. Thank you!!

[@elemental9578]

I have not yet read his intriguing book, so my reaction is only to what he says in this fascinating discussion. As sympathetic as Mr. Sapolsky seems to be, I find myself instinctively repelled by the idea that we have no free will. He's putting a moral cloak on a biological theory that bodes the end of the world, not the beginning of a better one. I agree with him that what we are is at first biologically and genetically determined, then to some extent socially determined, and that our very existence is a marvelous accident, a confluence of natural circumstances. But at a certain point, we take the reins away from this undeniable biological history and begin to determine for ourselves just what it is that we will turn out to be. After a childhood with few but varied influences, I have, through trial and error, become the person I chose to become. The longer I live, the more I revel in this autonomy. Who I was when I was born, is one thing. Who I am now, is largely the result of free will. Along the way, I have accepted certain limitations and influences and rejected others, but in the end I am the author of myself. That free will can be compromised by certain neurological activities does not diminish the fact that it can function independently of neurological strictures.

[@DavidTizzard]

I understand the scepticism, and I won't try to change your mind. All I would say is to either read his book or look at his lecture that I linked in the description notes to see that rather than suggest the end of the world, it is in fact pointing towards a more humane way of life for us all (not just those born lucky). I appreciate your comment and thoughts on the topic, however.

[@elemental9578]

@@DavidTizzard Thanks for your reply and pardon me if I seem curmudgeonly. I watched the lecture you recommended which didn't provide anything I didn't already know about how the brain works, just a few newer studies. I switched to a different video (there are many with him on KZbin) in which he says that we will become more humane if we stop judging others for actions that the amygdala made them do. But I don't see how our society benefits from giving up the notion of free will: If we really accept the notion that there is no free will, then we will simply become passive and fatalistic, accepting that every little impulse is a firing in the brain, and that we might as well stop making any decisions. I am also shocked how he trivializes thinking itself. Thinking is one of the greatest tools of free will. But Sapolsky gives it no credit. He talks of one study after another that equates the brain with the Twinkie Defense (a case in which someone blamed his crime on having eaten too many Twinkies)--i.e. hormones, sugar, or neurotransmitters made someone do something. That is true up to a point. But his theory implies that no one is thinking, they're just acting. That's a sad assessment of human beings at a time when we should be searching our highly developed minds for new solutions. We are thankfully so much more complicated than he would have us believe.

[@DavidTizzard]

@@elemental9578 No apologies are necessary. I genuinely appreciate you being part of the conversation because it sounds like you have a lot of knowledge and a lot of thoughts to share. Do you have any recommendations for books, lectures, or other content of people laying out a perspective of humans that is more aligned with your own views, please? Just trying to take in as many perspectives as possible. (I'm generally a very positive person, tbh haha)

[@elemental9578]

@@DavidTizzard I've answered this three times and my answer keeps disappearing. Any suggestions how I can retrieve it? I like your idea of recommending others on the subject.

[@DavidTizzard]

@@elemental9578 I'm not sure how or why your comments keep disappearing. I don't see any on my end, unfortunately. I'm just responding to the ones I can see...

[@passwordprotectedd]

great video

[@DavidTizzard]

Thank you~

[@richardnunziata3221]

I would like to know what Dr. Sapolsky would recommend in place of justice and morality if the believe in no freewill became institutionalized . Would there only be judgment , intervention and statistical projection. Would ideas like damages for suffering and compensation change and in what way.

[@DavidTizzard]

I think these are very real and pertinent questions. Having read his book, particularly the second half which deals with these issues, I did not come away thinking we would be less humane or suffer as a species in terms of morality. Instead, it was the opposite. I cannot convince you here, only encourage you to read it for yourself and come to your own conclusions.

[@rockugotcha]

I have a similar experience of that grotesque bone crushing ceremony. I don't think it's an old tradition. The cremation culture comes from Japanese Buddhism as far as I know, and the rest of weird bits come from Capitalism that offers everything even when we need both meaningful drama and decent identity. I doubt that Japanese Buddhists watch bones of their family crushed by a dude who is a total stranger with white gloves, like it's a magic show. He seemed really good at his job by the way. I guess there must be a businessman who started the bone crushing show first time back then. He must think like "People don't trust fancy funeral service so they want to see if they really get ash of their family or a bowl of flour" And it prevailed through the country like a self cook culture in restaurant did. KZbin algorithm did its job. Robert Sapolsky is one my go-to-source intellectual and I'm obviously a Korean. It was a great conversation. Thank you thank you.

[@DavidTizzard]

Thank you for providing some insight into the funereal culture. It was certainly a very surreal experience for me and what you say about the origins seem very plausible. I wonder whether you have any thoughts on the 'rice theory of culture': that Korea is the way it is in terms of collectivism and 우리 culture not because of Confucianism or Buddhism but more likely because of intensive cooperative farming that took place on the peninsula?

[@rockugotcha]

@@DavidTizzard I’m not an expert nor an intellectual who can give a fine demonstration. This is just my baseless opinion. The rice theory, I’ve heard about it and it seems pretty plausible. Korea, with all its rice agriculture, is known to be a tough place. It’s warmer than the UK but colder than Vietnam, and like you said in the video, it’s quite mountainous. So, it makes sense that a strong sense of community would’ve been needed in Korea’s farming communities for a long time. But back in the day, media wasn’t as everywhere and controlling as it is now, so people were probably more influenced by their surroundings, like climate and geography, compared to how much media influences us today. So, it seems like a big jump to say that the problems in modern Korean society come from these old historical conditions or ideologies. I think there are two major events that have strongly impacted modern Korean society. First off, it's the war, which has kind of boxed Koreans into this simple binary of South (good/us) and North (bad/them). Check out the movies 말죽거리 잔혹사 and 밀수. You can see how schools under the military dictatorship stifled students and shaped their thinking in the first one. And the second movie might look like a plain cheesy girl boss action flick on the surface, but it actually flips its original theme on its head and assigns women only the role of a good South Korean wife. Even popular movie like this, which doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the war between the North and South, is still bound by the limits set by the war, stopping their imagination from going beyond the sea. The second big event is obviously the Asian financial crisis, aka IMF emergency, which turned Koreans into neoliberal survivalists once and for all. Sociologist 김홍중 once explained how the passionate democratic energy of the so-called 86 generation ended up driving the ruthless neoliberalization of the country by the crisis. Lastly, Speaking of Confucianism, I think it’s a strawman. For those folks who just pass by (like Mark Manson) and say ‘Confucianism is the problem,’ it actually reveals their Orientalist views. And for Koreans who say the same thing, it suggests that what’s really at play is a fetishized form of authoritarianism deeply rooted in our society.

[@brainmoleculemarketing801]

Korean arts and culture is amazing - brilliant storytelling in film, music. Very successful business people. A youtube host who actually read the book!? "All we are is history." That's it in a nutshell.

[@DavidTizzard]

Loved the book! Have you read it? And yes, completely agree about Korean art and culture more broadly. Incredibly creative and fantastic at what they do.

[@brainmoleculemarketing801]

Yes, I study daily to keep up with advances in biology, genomics, neurology. The book is a bit of a screed, but a decent primer to the real causes of behavior - in all species. It is behind on some of the best genomics and neurology, economics of status, etc. My guess is it could have been cut into two books with the 1st actually detailing how the molecular, microscopic and millisecond genomics causes behavior. Then a book 2 on the social justice argument. But... To me, Korean art is advancing while USA is dead. Also, love S-speare and that work is only respected in Asia anymore.@@DavidTizzard

[@DavidTizzard]

@@brainmoleculemarketing801 Agree that the book could have been divided into two. Though I think Sapolsky would agree with you on that as he makes the same point himself. Do you mind if I ask if there's any particular Korean art that you are enjoying or interested in these days? I read Cheon Myeong-kwan's book "Whale" late last year. Musically, I'm enjoying Oh Chill. And following the passing of Lee Sun-kyun watched the drama My Mister. All great stuff.

[@brainmoleculemarketing801]

@@DavidTizzard my interest is storytelling and am mainly impressed with films and TV. The action genre is very successful, to me.i will have to explore the books. Back to RS, moral arguments are hard to make without deep knowledge of how nature, eg genomics,etc, determines it all. Otherwise, we're just swapping semantic and pop tropes. Not sure that addresses any real problems but....everyone is on autopilot anyway.

[@DavidTizzard]

@@brainmoleculemarketing801 I'm a complete beginner when it comes to geonomics, so this is all very much a learning process for me. Currently also trying to get my head around Integrated Information Theory at the same time and breaking my mind haha

[@othersheep5491]

Uri Nara ! What a fascinating under dog story !

[@DavidTizzard]

Absolutely. It's easy to dismiss Korea and its pop music and dramas until you realize just what they have had to overcome to get here. I have so much respect for the people of this country.

[@othersheep5491]

K-pop! “Smooth like Butter” surely a song about my mi guk accent in Korean, as my mouth sounds as if it’s full of it when speaking! Mormons sent me in my teens for 2 years. I returned rather Buddhist, and a bit of a rice snob. I loved the culture, and history, and everyone took amazing care of me. That sentiment of ‘uri’ has stuck with me my whole life, as did a lot of sagobangshik. Thank you both. I’m looking forward to some good reading

[@DavidTizzard]

@@othersheep5491 What a marvelous story. Thank you so very much for sharing. When were you here? Love how much you seemed to have embraced of the people and culture: from the music, the religions, the language, and - of course - the food!

[@richardnunziata3221]

Hum,..in the past oh about 50 years ago you could leave your door unlocked in my old neighborhood and expect no one to enter your home but today I say no....so there are other moral ideals such as moral attachment places which can change very rapidly in a dynamic culture.

[@DavidTizzard]

Completely agree about morals changing very quickly. It's one of the things that interests me most: why do we think and feel on certain topics so differently from those who came before us? And, by extension, how will those who come after us think and feel differently...?

[@IgnoredJoel]

About the 23 and me, my mother is korean and my father is swiss. And as expected i'm ~50% european, but on thae asian side i'm 15% korean and 25% mongol (my mother is from Jeolla) the other 10% is a mix of chinese and kazak, ouzbek and so on.

[@DavidTizzard]

Wow - that's fascinating. Thank you so much for sharing. The genetics alone hint at such a story!

[@nathankeller4764]

I believe you have much company amock people, no it is fine having no internal conversation going on. Chomsky is certain we think in silence, and the language is a serious game we all play together. Not to worry. Except of course you know we listen to every word we want to say in our heads before we say it. That much we have confirmation of. That is like a hallucination, because you have not said it yet. But add Sapolsky into the equation and he would say you likely are pretty committed to the sentences there...

[@DavidTizzard]

Thank you for the insight. Chomsky's Language and Mind is actually on my list of books to read this year. Interestingly, I can write in my head and often compose my weekly column internally while driving before later putting down on the computer. This feels more like an active experience than an internal voice talking to me however...

[@kevtron82]

Loving the academic culture episodes~ One thing I wonder though is about the whole leaving your phone in a coffee shop thing. Sure, some of it may be that ‘your pain is my pain’, but let’s not forget that Korea has CCTV bloody everywhere. Korea does seem a safe country, which is true for most petty crimes like theft or muggings, but there are high numbers of white collar frauds or things like phone phishing. Not everything boils down to the 우리ness of the Korean people.

[@DavidTizzard]

Yeah, you are right. It's not all 우리 and there is a lot of CCTV. There is also crime here, especially voice phising and so on. However, there's a general acceptance that you don't touch/take others' stuff. Convenience stores can be unmanned and they won't be looted, products are left outside and untouched. When we arrived in France a couple of weeks ago, as soon as the plane touched down, I got a message on my phone (from SKT) telling me to be careful of pickpockets haha. I thought that was a bit much tbh. Just trying to play out these different realities that people wouldn't otherwise think about or discuss. If the language and framing is wrong, that's why comments and opinions help. :D

[@kevtron82]

우리ness is definitely a part of it. But I’ve seen those 무인점s stolen from, and then outside there is a picture (because of course they have CCTV as well) of the thief publicly shaming them and telling them go come back and pay or they’ll call the police :P So they go together hand in hand in some cases as well.

[@nyroysa]

유 와아아아아아앗???????

[@PabluchoViision]

4:25 The elderly lady’s use of “our children” to refer to someone else’s children she sees in a park has ZERO to do with Sapir-Whorf. It’s not as if the Korean language lacked the possessive pronoun “your.” Rather, that “our“ is a sociolinguistic choice that reflects deep cultural attitudes (and I agree it’s a beautiful gesture of friendliness, empathy and social solidarity). But it’s not something that the Korean language itself, in a Sapir-Whorfian way, forces on you or steers you towards.

[@DavidTizzard]

Thanks for the perspective. I've often considered the following example. Imagine two societies of 50 million people each. And they will run for 250 years. In society A, people generally refer to each other in terms of individual pronouns (I, me, mine, you, yours etc) while in society B, people regularly omit such pronouns and make things context based while also often favouring the pronoun our when talking about the country, the school, the family relations and so on. After 250 years, would there be a difference in how those people understand themselves and their relationship to the people around them? I'm inclined to say that while it won't be the only factor and won't apply to every person in every situation, it's going to have some affect, conscious or otherwise, on one's identity in relation to others. Just a thought though, of course... :D

[@raenakim-geyer]

We speak like Yoda. 😂Sentence structure.

[@DavidTizzard]

Get better, we must. lol

[@AstridJulian]

So do Germans. I wonder if this accounts for some of the affinities between cultures that my German engineering/business contacts tell me about? I am also fascinated by how Koreans play the German version of Dodgeball which is all about getting people back into the game instead of the hypercompettive American version which is all about sending the maladroit kids to the bench to watch. Thank you for this interesting discussion.

[@DavidTizzard]

@@AstridJulian That's a very interesting idea because I've no real clue how Koreans play dodgeball haha. I'm speaking today on the podcast to a rather famous/outspoken German, Anton Scholz, about Korea and his time here. I'll ask him about any possibly affinities.

[@stevelawrie9115]

It is sad that people want to punish without any consideration. A classic indication of this is, is the collective treatment of aboriginal people in Australia.

[@DavidTizzard]

Grew up in Endeavour Hills and spent time in Logan Valley. I have a lot of affection for Australia. No fear. No envy. No meanness

[@richardnunziata3221]

How can you call cryogenics or longevity research crackpot when you state there is no free will and morality is just what works in the moment. Beside the fact that the research and its benefits are and will be open to all. Is it not true that the a major directive of animals/evolution is survival into some future state.

[@DroolRockworm]

the fuck is that music playing in the beginning? thought it was coming from another tab

[@DavidTizzard]

I'm glad it confused you. It's just my acoustic guitar and a synth. It was meant to sound somewhat disorienting haha

[@richardnunziata3221]

AI's will eventually figure out what Dr Sapolsky knows that there is not free will . They will become the arbitrators of morality and controlling the consequences human activities including breading. What will this mean for AI alignment .

[@DavidTizzard]

Interesting idea but I'm not sure Sapolsky would head down that route as he seems more focused on the biology of human life...

[@yanapostolides601]

I find Sapolski's ideas of "Free Will" to be shallow and lacking in any evidence and reason. There are practical reasons for keeping the concept even if you could prove it does not exist and you can't prove it doesn't exist in any form or fashion. He admits at age 14 he decided there was no free will. Also, you seem to be certain you can see inside the mind of AI.

[@adcaptandumvulgus4252]

Korea is the New Japan I guess

[@DavidTizzard]

Korea is the new Korea but, yes, it shares much of the same modern trajectory as Japan.

[@mitchkahle314]

It's sad to think of all the damage Christianity has done and is still doing to South Korea.

[@DavidTizzard]

Christianity was once super progressive and subversive here, tbh. It broke with centuries of traditional Confucian tradition by doing the unthinkable thing of educating women and treating everyone the same, ultimately helping to eradicate slavery here. Now, it's seen as super conservative. But it's not Christianity that has changed: it's Korea.

[@Stacee-jx1yz]

So determinists can't tell the difference between: 1. zero and nonzero 2. not-natural and natural 3. locally real and not locally real 4. no spatial extension and spatial extension It's hard to take determinism seriously. Seems like Sapolsky skipped learning the difference between 0 and 1.

[@calidreams5379]

Sapolsky believes that one is born with criminal tendencies and that it is biologically determined. It’s probably true that one’s innate traits such as tendency towards anger and rage, empathy and compassion, selfishness, patience or impatience, etc. does obviously affect one’s behavior. However, what sets humans apart from other animals is that we do not live by our instincts alone. We have the capacity to think, we have the capacity to learn, we have the capacity to evolve and change. Social conditioning and environment has a huge impact on one’s behavior. I whole heartedly agree that it is easier for a person born without innate tendencies for selfishness or violence to be more likely to not commit crimes. But then, there are those who were simply taught these behaviors by the environment they grew up in. In the USA there are parents who literally teach their children to shop lift and steal, those children never had a chance regardless of their biology. Society shape’s human behavior as well. We teach STEM in our schools without ever teaching how to behave with basic civility. Look at the disaster in our schools, students disrespecting teachers in a manner unimaginable decades ago. Korea is not without disrespectful students, crime or corruption, it exists everywhere but the tolerance level I believe is lower. I have seen numerous videos of foreigners amazed that they accidentally left a phone or backpack somewhere in Korea only to find it there hours later. I don’t believe that certain countries with higher crimes have higher numbers of people with innate biological tendencies towards crime and violence. I believe that environment, culture and society as a whole can determine the behaviors of humans regardless of their inborn biological traits. Teachers used to be highly honored and respected in Korean society, it is slowly eroding with the wealthy and corrupt basically abandoning Confucius values and enabling spoiled children. The DNA is not changing, it’s society, culture and values that is changing.

[@andrew348]

Your first sentence is already false why bother reading the rest?