Robert Sapolsky: why the Russians do not protest, how to cure imperialism and stop wars

I interview Robert Sapolsky today. He’s an American biologist and professor of neurology, and neurosurgery at Stanford University. But he is best known as the author of books that explain our behavior through science. He also explains the war in Ukraine, imperialism, and totalitarianism with science.
00:00 Robert Sapolsky, author of ‘Behave’ and ‘Why Zebras don’t get Ulcers?’ bestsellers.
00:59 Russia will lose all its opposition. Since Putin began mobilization, the situation has changed. Wars become very unpopular when your children come home in coffins.
06:23 The psychological phenomenon of imperialism. Something that people really like to be part of a huge great empire. The humiliation that it was once a great empire is the desire to ally with someone who promises the return of the past. Totalitarian Conformity: The answers reassure many people.
09:51 Trump in the USA with his slogan "Make America great again!". America has never been great for minorities or women. So the former greatness is a myth. Look at Italy and Meloni, who is going to erect monuments to Mussolini. People who have lived through decades of repression are more receptive to conformity and will be the first to say, "Yes, we agree with everything."
17:51 National character: nations are predisposed to the political system: let's say Russians have lived under dictatorship for so long, and so it's in their DNA. A number of people whom Stalin killed in the Gulag did not leave us copies of their genes. In fact, there is no such thing as a national character. A biological phenomenon is how you behave when you are surrounded by other people who think in a certain way. Christian fundamentalists believe it is okay to use violence to ban abortion. The reason is how often they go to church, where they are surrounded by people who think like themselves.
27:23 Values ​​in individualistic and collectivist cultures. The ability to protest: The Russian people are condemned for their inability to rebel against the Putin regime. Iranian women endured about 40 years of oppression before the protests. When reforms fail, revolution breaks out. Events or leaders are capable of provoking.
32:55 Are there rebellious nations? In Ukraine, at least every ten years there is some kind of revolution. How wealth affects brain development in children from birth and beyond? We are biological machines and all we do is interact with the environment.
36:58 Is there any way we can fix ourselves? The Russians feel like hostages and cannot do anything. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, people stopped trusting each other. Life expectancy in Russia has declined: to alcoholism, violence, suicide, heart disease, and feelings of despair and helplessness. Change can only happen when people realize that they are not alone. For example, in Algeria, a dictator remained in power for another 30 years, and then he was gone in a week. How mobile phones could have stopped the First World War.
45:11 People who are fighting each other in Ukraine: there is no genetic or cultural difference between these people. And they have mobile phones. But there are people on the side of Russia, most of whom are very much brainwashed by propaganda. Warfare was invented 10,000 years ago, along with the development of agriculture. But the world as a whole doesn't seem to change much over a long period of time. In the 17th century, the Swedes were the most insane and aggressive people in Europe. But they, the whole country, sat down and thought: “Let's stop doing this!” Now it seems that Scandinavia is the best place to live on Earth. Germany is more open to immigrants than any other country in the EU because - we remember what our grandparents did. Change is possible.
53:50 People believe too much in the power of genes. Some things do not change, but they may look like the most dramatic changes have taken place: for example, today the Germans are trying to make amends for the sins of their grandparents with the same enthusiasm with which those same grandparents smashed Poland. In 50 years, Germany will again be the most militaristic country in the world, and everything will be built around the slogan "Make Germany great again."

[@reginod2249]

Sapolsky is one of the most fascinating intellectuals alive, IMO. I never tire of hearing his insights. Thanks for this interview!

[@rowdyriemer]

Sapolksy fuckin ROCKS! In all seriousness, his behavioral biology lecture series on youtube may very well be the best thing on the internet.

[@rowdyriemer]

His books pretty much fuckin rock as well, especially "A Primate's Memoir".

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 💖💖

[@Saritabanana]

Hell yes, that's the truth

[@ricardodelacrvz1400]

You should try his book behave. 10/10 the men is no joke specially when it comes to free will. Its a big book but you get to be another men after you finish it.

[@peacewithyou503]

Hell yeah, he is awesome.

[@suemick8709]

Sapolsky does an amazing job of weaving historical context stories into his multi-disciplined talk. Such a pleasure to listen to him speak.

[@YanZeLifting]

Man so excited to listen to Robert Sapolsky speak again, he hasn't had any interviews as of late until this one. Robert always drops gems of knowledge whenever he opens his mouth, can't wait to hear what he's got to say!

[@benroberts1446]

This was my feeling. I was little surprised by the topic but even more so to see that he was doing an interview. Good surprises!

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 💖💖

[@zibrom]

Than was hard for him to have a conversation with the undercover stupid fsb agent.

[@NativeTexMexican]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/iWbKkH93pLqMkLM

[@18_rabbit]

unfortunate for u that u cannot concentrate as much as he and other intelligent ppl can. Maybe your brain was not well taken care of in utero and in early childhood.@@itoibo4208

[@johnsheehan5109]

Sapolsky is without a doubt one of the most powerful intellects of our time. Thanks for this superb interview.

[@lewisalmeida3495]

Thank you for having Robert Sapolsky on your podcast. Robert Sapolsky’s insight that we do not have free will and that we are determined is provocative and true. Question for Robert, have you read, studied, and understood Spinoza’s Ethics? I too understand that free will is an illusion. I have studied Spinoza’s philosophy communicated in his Ethics for over 50 years. Spinoza wrote his Ethics during the 17th century; however, his books were banned due to contrary religious beliefs. Spinoza understood that free will is an illusion and that we are determined by the laws of nature. Spinoza’s God is Nature, a non-anthropomorphic being.

[@justgivemethetruth]

Why do people think they can judge Putin's mindset, or his sanity, or worldview. I've listened to the interviews with Putin, and some of his speeches, and I see no sign of what is pushed out there saturated in emotion. I believe that whatever Putin is or is thinking about, he's maintained a popular grip on power in Russia, and been comic book vilified by the US like a James Bond villain. I think we cannot see this guy clearly, so we have to assume he is a rational actor for what we believes is the best interests of his country. There is so much we do not hear about these people and this situation going back starting in 2014, or even if you go back to the 1700's, and WWII, etc. We are just lied into war as usual, for good or evil. Maybe our wars do some good, but on balance I don't think so. I think on balance hundreds of thousands or maybe millions of people who are dead because of the sanctions, or operations, or the regimes we impose on the people of countries were we installed puppet leaders, or the pollution we cause overseas, etc. I don't know how or why people support this war, or bother to talk about if they do not know what they are talking about - it is insanity, mass hysteria, and if we could look at a graph of the health of our planet, like you have on the Single-Player Computer Games, when this war started the whole planet and all the people took a local nosedive in health, and global warmer would be going up by just as much.

[@giangiuseppecicorioni9164]

Veeeery few politicians act for whats best for their country. Putin has been on power for 30 years now, poisoning and jailing dissent. Thats not a benefit of the doubt situation

[@justgivemethetruth]

@@giangiuseppecicorioni9164 I see your point, but there is not really "dissent" as we know it in Russia. There is the people who have no say, but Putin has in general been better for them than what was before. There are the oligarchs, which are marauders just like in American where the oligarchs have taken over viciously. Putin knows how to fight them or else he would be dead. Then, there is the ever-present subversion and bribery of the US alway trying to screw over the countries it doesn't like and wants to take over - and Russia is at the top of the list. Russia, Cuba, Venezuela, etc. I don't think Putin has much of a choice other than to be what he is. When I hear him talk, and listen to his speeches, I think he has been very open to compromise with the West. It's the West, and mostly the US who has forced this war in Ukraine on the world, and not just Russia, the whole world. The US and Europe have throughout modern history always been after Russia. They've been invaded since forever, and they have a right to evolve around that and make sure it doesn't continue. When Putin took over he raised the Russia economy, got the marauding oligarchs under control, put back some of the social support for the people in Russia, and Russian lifespan has gone up. When I look back on the US history we have been warring and murdering and assassinating a lot more than Russia ever has, and in the last 50 years since Reagan and the radical Conservatives took over, the average American is getting ground in the dust, while being told it's caviar. Until Reagan the American government was not doing so bad. Check out "The Hidden History Of NeoLiberalism" by Thom Hartmann, or any of his "Hidden History" books. Sounds like you are either propagandizing or operating off a lot of misguided assumptions - and because I am critical of the US does not mean I support Putin or Russia.

[@justgivemethetruth]

@@giangiuseppecicorioni9164 Very doesn't need 4 e's.

[@giangiuseppecicorioni9164]

@justgivemethetruth cringeeeeeee comment

[@Trip4man]

Because it's true... Putin puts a mask to appear sane and logical and he's not. I heard an emigrant here that lived in Russia for 30 years... The things he said about him and Russia omg.... And I can give you an EXACT quote of him where he said "Putin thinks he's saving Ukraine from Nazi-sm... But I can tell you... The LAST thing I would want in life is to be 'rescued' by Putin". And he was a member of the Communist Party in my country... I think he turned Capitalist or something. He did leave the Communist party at least, that I know for a fact. And he does some remarks that sound like.. Well like he's favoring Capitalism and condemning Communism. He didn't admitted directly but.... Indirectly it seemed like it. Although I don't consider that Russia lived in a true Communist regime... Because Communism shouldn't rely on dictators to run things and it's in the word itself Community. Which implies that the thing should be run by people, equally. So Russia is a case to be studied in my opinion. They seem to have that Tsar thing in their DNA also. So the thing sounds more like Popular Tsar-ism than anything else. For disclosure, I lean to the Left but I'm not a fanatical stupid person. If I see something wrong or incorrect I WILL change my mind. I'm first and foremost for the Truth! Ideology comes later if there's some to be had... I ain't a dog of NOBODY Yeah yeah the 2014 Euromaidan... It's true... Ukrainians pooped the bed. Although, Russia was already invading Georgia and Crimea..... So the Euromaidan thing, may be an excuse to another agenda. That emigrant also said that Putin wanted to cleanse Europe... Putin considers Europe a rotten thing. According to him we are devil worshipers, pedophiles, corrupted and a bunch of other non sense. Europe has it's problems true, nobody is perfect.... But to think we ALL are those things, that's INSANE. And Putin/Russia are NO moral authorities on that regard either. So yeah... Imagine a freaking criminal telling you that you're a criminal. Well thanks bud.... What does that leave us with?? You ain't arresting me if nobody is arresting you. It seems also that Putin is embarking on a propaganda scheme... In MY opinion.... He seems to be taking advantage of the West weakness to propel his agenda. And the thing is shinning through the cracks. They ridicule the West, they brag about their greatness, they smirk about some events.... And sure, they have reasons for that but... You might win the battle, doesn't mean you won the war.... Because the West IS better!!! We are not better at military things okay. But we sure are better at others!!! And this is another point... Which is EXTREMELY dangerous.... Because these are people that have nuclear weapons! It won't be long for a madman to appear and will throw everything under the bus. Either because they don't like our ways, because they don't agree with our lifestyle, because they think we are bad, because we didn't do that, because we did that,....... There's 1001 reasons! And they'll be happy to drop them on us! So yeah... The world is becoming a VERY dangerous place. Someone will get fed up with the whole thing and just go "to hell with everything". THAT's what's on the table too. So yeah... My advice?!... I would try to listen to normal Russians FIRST before hearing Putin. Elites and politicians have this habit of saying everything is good, everything is peachy when in fact is EXACTLY the contrary. And Putin doesn't escape from that rule for sure! I think political and democratic systems are coming to an end.... We can't continue to elect mad people to run things because they will do insane things. I look at all this stuff.... USA, Europe, Russia,... There's NO ONE doing a good job. So yeah, we better start thinking about another system because this one is a complete failure.

[@zbig47]

"Free will is biology that has not been discovered yet" - R.Sapolsky

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 💖💖

[@RicardGomes76]

You must, for all reasons, to put legends, man! In several languages. Portuguese being one of them... People from all over the Planet must know this. This is true knowledge.

[@dajandroid]

For me, Robert Sapolsky has picked up the torch for reporting on the modern scientific findings providing insights into social behavior that Noam Chomsky has been carrying for a very long time. (Too bad the background dog sounds couldn’t have been removed). Thank you - to Robert and your interview.

[@brett1354]

Always good to see Sapolsky. Thanks.

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 💖💖

[@traybae2_]

I read about the rice vs wheat farmer study a few years back in Scientific American and found it fascinating then as now. Dude be dropping jewels

[@Gekker42]

a friend of mine has stood with a protest on their way home froma grocery shop, for a couple of minutes, just to see what's going on and what is it being talked about. Their neighbour, an old man that's always never happy with *any* other people, saw them there, apparently phoned somewhere, and, by a *pure coincidence*, they started being followed by some people, they and their parents and their gf's parents began to recieve threatening calls, like "something's bad gonna happen with you\your children". you know what's the joke? that was in 2020. "why the Russians do not protest" they do. or they did. a lot. a bunch of them ended up in jails. now they don't protest. there's 0 impact from those protests anyway lmao, what are you on about. everyone is just either too depressed, too tired, or brainwashed. or, well, left the country. or don't care enough and\or think that it's better to stay out of it until it ends.

[@danishshaheen5973]

Robert sapolsky is an absolute godsend

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 💖💖

[@lewisalmeida3495]

Thank you for having Robert Sapolsky on your podcast. Robert Sapolsky’s insight that we do not have free will and that we are determined is provocative and true. Question for Robert, have you read, studied, and understood Spinoza’s Ethics? I too understand that free will is an illusion. I have studied Spinoza’s philosophy communicated in his Ethics for over 50 years. Spinoza wrote his Ethics during the 17th century; however, his books were banned due to contrary religious beliefs. Spinoza understood that free will is an illusion and that we are determined by the laws of nature. Spinoza’s God is Nature, a non-anthropomorphic being.

[@ekaterinasergeyeva453]

Feeling you're not alone is really very powerful. That must be the reason why Russian government quickly passed a couple of law to effectively stop people discussing the war. It's an offence now to even call it a war or to express ANY negative feelings about what is happening. By now they've taken hundreds of people to court for expressing their opinion in one way or another

[@ekaterinasergeyeva453]

Just so you know: they even prosecute people for LIKING a post written by another person. Moreover, hundreds of reports have been sent to the police, accusing neighbours of defaming the army. All of a sudden people start reporting on their friends and acquaintances, even their family! This makes mutual trust and collective action rather problematic

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 💖💖

[@johncameron6864]

The west is no so different, covid!!

[@jessefontenot9846]

All countries do these things during major wars. You could make a case for and against it being necessary but it’s universal.

[@ekaterinasergeyeva453]

@@jessefontenot9846 , unfortunately, the universality doesn't make it easier to bear.

[@gyrateful]

I'm on lecture 20 of Robert Sapolsky's Stanford University lectures on KZbin. Amazing, plus no maths!

[@Alina-dw2lg]

I always feel a little bit smarter after listening to this man😇 Great guest. Thank you.

[@DawnLevendula]

I have same.

[@klowen7778]

Yep, and Robert's definitely changed my own POV re: human behavior.

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 💖💖

[@cataclysmicyawn]

I couldn’t believe they removed some of Sapolsky’s lectures on KZbin. Knowledge is power. Always humbled to hear this man speak.

[@corneliussulla9963]

Strange, since he is talking western propaganda. Exactly what youtube stands for. This guy is talking about Russian imperialism when its NATO that has surrounded russia, not the other way round. Nuts...

[@giangiuseppecicorioni9164]

Nice job! 500 rubles have been deposited on your account

[@gking407]

@@corneliussulla9963 Yes Russia’s best response to “being surrounded” is to destroy another nation, giving NATO more members… 😂

[@asynchronicity]

@@corneliussulla9963 Nuts is Russia's self-immolation based on paranoia and imperialist entitlement. Gtfo of Ukraine.

[@quill444]

The Russian Federation wants to minimize the Russia-NATO Border, and I did the mathematical proof: the only way to achieve this is to _Make Russia Smaller Again!_ - j q t -

[@recalcitrantrecidivist5927]

What a beautiful mind. ❤

[@lewisalmeida3495]

Thank you for having Robert Sapolsky on your podcast. Robert Sapolsky’s insight that we do not have free will and that we are determined is provocative and true. Question for Robert, have you read, studied, and understood Spinoza’s Ethics? I too understand that free will is an illusion. I have studied Spinoza’s philosophy communicated in his Ethics for over 50 years. Spinoza wrote his Ethics during the 17th century; however, his books were banned due to contrary religious beliefs. Spinoza understood that free will is an illusion and that we are determined by the laws of nature. Spinoza’s God is Nature, a non-anthropomorphic being.

[@RealProfessionalHumanBeing]

Sapolsky's neurobiological enhancement of social psychological principles was such a treat. Thank you.

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 💖💖

[@uranianka]

Thank you for the original version!

[@StritarD]

How amazing was this interview!

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 💖💖

[@chuckheppner4384]

"We humans are wired for empathy by evolution, but when children grow up in dominator families they internalize this male over female template for relations early on. They then automatically apply it to other differences, whether based on race, religion, sexual orientation, and so forth. People from authoritarian, male-dominated, punitive families tend to vote for "strongman" leaders and for "hard" punitive policies (prisons, wars) rather than "soft" caring policies (healthcare, childcare). Not everyone from this background does. But many people do. And this conditioning can be exploited, as Trump's campaign did, especially in times like ours of economic, social, and technological upheaval. The link between intimate violence in the home and the international violence of terrorism and war is as tightly bound together as the fingers of a clenched fist. What happened in the US is a regression to the domination side of the social scale. Trump claimed that he, as a "strongman," would solve all our problems, and was elected by fanning fear, hate, scapegoating, the debasement of women. While there were many factors in the 2016 election, from false news to voter suppression and Russian hacking, the question is why so many people responded to Donald Trump's demagoguery. That both Muslim fundamentalists and the Christian right are today focusing their attempts to regain control in a rapidly changing world on frantic efforts to maintain control over women, particularly over women's sexuality. Moreover, given their mythologies about "holy wars," it is also understandable that they should use "divinely approved" violence to do so. If we look at the last decades, we see that the US rightist-fundamentalist alliance demonized partnership-oriented families and painted women's rights as a threat to "tradition" - which of course it is to traditions of domination. These people had an integrated political agenda that recognizes that a "traditional" authoritarian, male dominated, punitive family is foundational to an authoritarian, male dominated, punitive politics. We can see this connection in sharp relief in brutal top-down regimes, be they secular like Nazi Germany or religious like ISIS in the Middle East. [On the ancient Venus figurines:] If the central religious figure was a woman giving birth and not, as in our time, a man dying on a cross, it would not be unreasonable to infer that life and the love of life - rather than death and the fear of death - were dominant in society as well as art." Riane Eisler “It was one of the greatest errors in evaluating dictatorship to say that the dictator forces himself on society against its own will. In reality, every dictator in history was nothing but the accentuation of already existing state ideas which he had only to exaggerate in order to gain power” Wilhelm Reich, The Mass Psychology of Fascism "The parallel between antifeminism and race prejudice is striking. The same underlying motives appear to be at work, namely fear, jealousy, feelings of insecurity, fear of economic competition, guilt feelings, and the like. Many of the leaders of the feminist movement in the nineteenth-century United States clearly understood the similarity of the motives at work in antifeminism and race discrimination and associated themselves with the anti slavery movement." Ashley Montagu "Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties. The quest for certainty blocks the search for meaning. Uncertainty is the very condition to impel man to unfold his powers. The task we must set for ourselves is not to feel secure, but to be able to tolerate insecurity. The scars left from the child's defeat in the fight against irrational authority are to be found at the bottom of every neurosis. The deepest need of the human being is to overcome our separateness, to leave the prison of our loneliness. The person who gives up his individual self and becomes an automaton, identical with millions of other automatons around him, need not feel alone and anxious any more. But the price he pays, however, is high; it is the loss of his self. The real opposition is that between the ego-bound man, whose existence is structured by the principle of having, and the free man, who has overcome his egocentricity. Well-being is possible to the degree to which one has overcome one's narcissism; to the degree to which one is open, responsive, sensitive, awake, empty.... Well-being means, finally, to drop one's Ego, to give up greed, to cease chasing after preservation and the aggrandizement of the Ego, to be and to experience one's self in the act of being, not in having, preserving, coveting, using. A society whose principles are acquisition, profit, and property produces a social character oriented around having, and once the dominant pattern is established, nobody wants to be an outsider, or indeed an outcast; in order to avoid this risk everybody adapts to the majority, who have in common only their mutual antagonism. The fact that millions of people share the same vices does not make these vices virtues, the fact that they share so many errors does not make the errors to be truths, and the fact that millions of people share the same form of mental pathology does not make these people sane. Exploitation and manipulation produce boredom and triviality; they cripple man, and all factors that make man into a psychic cripple turn him also into a sadist or a destroyer." Erich Fromm "Nostalgia was like a disease, one that crept in and stole the color from the world and the time you lived in. Made for bitter people. Dangerous people, when they wanted back what never was. Civilization after civilization, it is the same. The world falls to tyranny with a whisper. The frightened are ever keen to bow to a perceived necessity, in the belief that necessity forces conformity, and conformity a certain stability. In a world shaped into conformity, dissidents stand out, are easily branded and dealt with. There is no multitude of perspectives, no dialogue. The victim assumes the face of the tyrant, self-righteous and intransigent, and wars breed like vermin. And people die." Steven Erikson "Hitler, Stalin, Mao and other dictators were exposed to severe physical mistreatment in childhood and refused to face up to the fact later. Instead of seeing and feeling what had happened to them, they avenged themselves vicariously by killing millions of people. And millions of others helped them to do so." Alice Miller

[@docdelmonte8136]

Voila 😮 😊

[@Youlovesky_Max]

By a logic all

[@denissidorenko8832]

Sapolsky is a live legend! You should also invite David Buss.

[@briarboy11]

Living legend

[@sharonmontano4924]

Agree- he’s a living legend !

[@felipearbustopotd]

I could listen to Robert Sapolsky for hours on end, or maybe until the cows came home.

[@GeneTakovic225]

I used to fall asleep listening to his stanford lectures.😂 Not that it was boring, but he has such a soft calming voice.

[@tammyscott9664]

@@GeneTakovic225Me too!

[@Benjaminimal]

Really insightful interview with Mr. Sapolsky! Definitely taking this "private conformity" term with me. For oppositional Russians, navigating the informational space is tricky. Every day, there's more to digest, more to take in - and a common reaction is helplessness. A true Russian classic. I think we can all agree it's not a constructive starting point, and you're looking for a fix. Ukrainians mostly say you're not doing enough (I'm honestly quite sympathetic to this view). The regime obviously doesn't like you, to understate things a bit. And then you have people in your own circle, like Maxim Katz saying "you owe nothing to anyone, especially Ukrainians" - and that you have "no obligation to protest" even in exile. Not great. There's scrutiny on all fronts, but I encourage you to be receptive, even if it hurts. Especially, this time, we need to recognize that saying "Ukrainians have the same culture as us" is an imperialist outlook. If you talk to Russian-native-speaking Ukrainians, you'll know that they are fully fully fully Ukrainians - just as Ukrainian as someone from Lviv or Chernivtsi. Ukrainian identity is inclusive and multifaceted. This "same culture" thing is not true, obviously, and as long as oppositional Russians keep saying it, you're gonna have problems. You'll be perceived not as allies - but as enemies. Reform is necessary, and it's going to involve throwing imperial legacies in the trash bin.

[@Vlad-yy3le]

I think the same culture arument often comes as a well intentioned oversimplification as part of the argument "it wrong to wage wars against peaceful people that are just like us". Although, rather unfortunately, i'm not very familiar with ukranian culture, i doubt that they are more different from an average white russian than an average white russian is different from an asian russian. I am aware that this appeears to be an insulting thing to say to ukranians now, but i don't think this arguement is that far from the truth, they just take it as literally the same instead of intended "somewhat similar in many aspects"

[@petrusk842]

The journalist who organized Maidan protests was born in Afghanistan. Ukraine has always been a multi-ethnic coalition of oppressed peoples yearning for freedom. This common struggle (and agriculture apparently) unites population, manifests itself as an (ironically) collectivist culture.

[@PHXM]

Russian opposition indeed owe nothing to Ukrainians, since Ukrainians believe there are no good Russians. Russians talk about the "same culture" for a reason: many Ukrainians were raised on Soviet/Russian movies and books, many Ukrainians have relatives in Russia and vice versa. Central and Eastern Ukrainians were pretty much sympathetic to Russia prior to 2014.

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 💖💖

[@lameduck3105]

Sapolsky is a biologist. Yet I can't help but think that he knows more about human psychology than Jordan Peterson. I'd love to see those two debate sometime.

[@giangiuseppecicorioni9164]

Debating with peterson is like playing chess with a pigeon

[@lameduck3105]

@@giangiuseppecicorioni9164 Oh I do agree. But it would be fun to see Sapolsky demonstrate actual studies while Peterson resorts to his "meta-truth" (more true than truth itself) bullshit and see how many of the Lobster fans would go away thinking that Peterson is the smartest guy in the room.

[@GeneTakovic225]

Omg, that would be epic. JP is not all that bad and very smart, but he has huge blindspots.

[@ishrendon6435]

​@lameduck3105 lmao thats 😂 funny as hell. The lobster fans lol 3 years ago i loved Jordan peterson as a young man because of his self help adivce but looking back it was pure trash

[@Calidore1]

I love this guy. Great subject for interview.

[@ceeemm1901]

The amazing thing about what Sapolsky is saying is that, even when someone becomes conscious of their 'blind following', the next time around they still fall into the same 'following of consensus'. Because they have been so classically conditioned and the same fears will arise.

[@monicacruz4407]

Sapolsky has such a deep understanding of the behavioral/genetic stuff, I love his Stanford lectures. I think the finer points of political, national and cultural phenomena at work in Ukraine now, not to mention the underlying cultural war between east and west are too fast moving for a biological explanation, it’s more like a game of chess. But there was a hopeful note towards the end, people to grow in consciousness and want to repair the wrongs that were perpetrated. I do wish all of them would sit down and negotiate 😖

[@theflamingone8729]

He very much cherry picks what he chooses as evidence. When you realise his father lost his career due to the Macarthy era anti communism, you will see where his attitudes come from.

[@trumanhw]

​@@theflamingone8729 So long as you understand that we're in a new epoch of Mccarthyism. As far as Ukraine ?? He clearly has no idea what's going on there as he thinks it's about conquest. In fact..? I think the host has no idea what's going on there. Which is either spectacular ..? Or he's just placating westerners and pretending that Russia is in the wrong. Nazis bombed & shelled Ukraine's own population for 8 years. Exhausted all attempts at an agreement (Minsk) and plead that the Ukrop nazis stop ... only to fall on deaf ears. And..? The US wasn't even done provoking Russia. But was committed to whatever was REQUIRED to animate Soros 1993 essay: _Toward a New World Order: The Future of NATO_ Open Society Foundations, November 1, 1993 To think the conflict is one of TOTALITARIANISM? Or Empire?? Is necessarily ignorant. You can see the US planning the 2014 coup with polls they issued in Ukraine and Crimea asking the Russian-speaking population what kinds of protest they thought were acceptable, and what nation they identified as, etc. Look up the: Public Opinion Survey Residents of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea May 16 - 30, 2013 Or William Burns (Current CIA Director) letter to Condi Rice in February 2008: NYET MEANS NYET: RUSSIA'S NATO ENLARGEMENT REDLINES To claim any of this wasn't the known and expected reaction of Russia is to play dumb.

[@kemalistdevrimturkaydnlanm168]

@@theflamingone8729could you please elaborate?

[@drzeworyj]

if there's one person in this world I love inconditionally, it's Robert Sapolsky.

[@briarboy11]

It's easy to love unconditionally someone who is far away.

[@alexandervodopyan4056]

@@briarboy11 🤓

[@Learna_Hydralis]

@@briarboy11 Great point .. The mind will fill the gaps with magic.

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 💖💖

[@kristine8338]

Unconditionally.

[@ericrobinson7184]

Don't where Sop has been hiding, but this interview makes up for going MIA. Great overview! I needed that.

[@Estrav.Krastvich]

Extremely interesting and educating, thank you.

[@lettersquash]

Excellent interview, Mikhail. Good questions eliciting very interesting answers from Robert. The situation is depressing, and these are the kinds of questions we need to be asking ourselves to understand what might change things for the better. I agree with Sapolsky that warfare was massively increased in the Neolithic Revolution, since communities had fixed stores of food to protect, and - when it failed - were tempted to raid other communities. Population exploded from the invention of farming. These two - population and capitalism - have just exploded since, to where we are now, with a few rich men at the head of multinational corporations, in cahoots with dictators or pseudo-democratic states, squeezing the life out of all the rest of us, along with the planet. I hope things can change, but I don't see a way out. It feels like the natural end of this particular ape species that learned to use stone tools, smelt metals, mine fossil fuels and create vastly destructive weapons. The collectivist rice farmers of China are a lovely model of socialist cooperation, but they're still susceptible to exploitation by the tax collector once they're discovered.

[@GeneTakovic225]

Imo, the trauma of the first half of the neolithic, with sea levels always rising, 120m in the span of several thousand years, 40m coming in the few years of the younger dryas, 12800 years ago, is also part of the answer. And this is not considering the possibility that rice agriculture may have started before 10k years ago, for all we know, as the low lands where they might have been, have been under water for thousands of years. The population displacements, the loss of local food sources and habits and ensuing trauma, all of that probably also raised our sociopathic tendencies, with parents losing parts of the communities that helped raise the young, loss of parents, levels of scarcity that they weren't used to. By most accounts, we spent roughly 200k years as mostly nomadic egalitarian hunter-gatherers with very loose hierarchies. By most accounts, the first agricultures were rice and labor was shared and rotated. It's what one would expect from transitioning from egalitarian HG societies. But suddenly we became more sociopathic because of labor division and hoarding? Seems like the relationship might be in reverse.

[@dukeallen432]

Great to get fresh Robert. I also love to hear what pinker has to say. The dogs. Soo hard to listen to.

[@timeisup3094]

Eh. Pinker is a bit too deterministic when it comes to genes. Sapolsky rejects the notion of genes having an overwhelming influence.

[@quill444]

Yes, the psychology of those who like dogs will say, _"What noise?"_ But to those who don't like dogs, probably over half of these people have left early, out of frustration! - j q t -

[@kassfischer5146]

Humanity will not stop wars until SOME cultures stop with the supremacy. Humility is needed not arrogance. Hegemony in personal relationships is spurned (the person is considered bossy and selfish). International relations should be the same - mutual respect and humbleness.

[@psyfiles7351]

What a great interview thank you very much

[@Saritabanana]

Robert my man

[@Khiff]

I'm Italian and I 100% agree on what he said about Meloni and Italy in general. It's sad, guys. Thank you for the wonderful content (but hey, let's be honest: content is always great when professor Sapolsky is involved).

[@Khiff]

@@Beeoriginal33 se non hai capito che ambiti come politica e antropologia fisica non sono compartimenti stagni, allora zi' me sa che delle ricerche de Sapolsky hai capito ben poco. Ah, e fare il finto tonto riguardo i legami tra FdI e fascismo non ti porta lontano.

[@Khiff]

@@Beeoriginal33 What was your question, really? (I answered you in italian cause I thought you were italian, sorry about that, i'll switch back in english). First, I'd say I can perfectly connect the two semantic fields: we're talking about us vs them and policies who are shaped about this particular anthropologic clash. I'm not answering you like a politician, cause i'm not, i'm just saying: Meloni founded a party that has ex fascists in it (take a look about previous statements of La Russa, current president of the Senato and the guy who prudly owns statues of Mussolini) and right wing extremists. What do you mean with "being a fascist"? If by that you mean that you subscribed to a political party who ended in 1943 then yeah, she's not fascist, but pretty much nobody is by now beacuse it is phisically impossible. If by "being a fascist" you mean a politician (or a person, for that matter) who sympathizes for a far right ideology who shapes specific policies that hit welfare (poor people are the enemy etc...), immigrants (us vs them etc...) and how you manage your resources by, for example, putting all the wealth on top (trickle down economy etc...), then yeah, you are even if you don't specifically admit it (before you defend her, you can easily take a look on google: she previously has said she has no problem with fascism, that Mussolini is a character that needs to be "contextualized", that she's close to Bolsonaro, close to Bannon, close to Le Pen, all people that are well known for their far right ideology. Need I say more?). As for the left wing in italy, I can agree with you it's a total mess, but that's not the point I'm questioning, I'm not here to defend the italian left wing which is clearly disappointing (you're mixing up stuff btw, m5s is not a left wing party, and how can you state that "5 Stelle get 99% of their votes in the South only cuzz of reddito di cittadinaza"? You can guess it, but how can you actually prove it? that's just pub talk, man ). Last but not least, a left politician can say whatever he/she wants about Meloni, fascist or not, who cares? What's the point, here? That Letta said it, so that makes it true? Woah, remarkable point, really.

[@Khiff]

@Edi O did you even read my comment? Do you actually fact-check all the things you type? Yeah, anyway, "pub talks" because how or where m5s get its votes is just hypothesis. How can you tell if it gets votes because "reddito di cittadinanza" or because people actually like its program? Did you actually bother reading what Meloni and her entourage did with the last "Legge di Bilancio"? Do you know what theyre trying to do recently with the "Servizio Sanitario Nazionale" and the reform about "sanità integrativa", or "autonomia differenziata"? I just mentioned some of the policies theyre trying to bring in. You're talking to me like I'm trying to defend left wing or m5s, which is not the case, i couldn't give 2 fucks about lol. I'm just bringing you facts about recent social policies, political definitions or categories regarding fascism and how you detect if a person is close to fascism or not. Bruh... if you wanna defend Meloni, what can I say... do it. I'm so sorry for you in general. Be safe out there, will ya?

[@Khiff]

@Edi O "the leftist make me throw up". Again, us Vs them. Sapolsky is on point again, thanks to you constantly validating his points without even realizing it. I would suggest you to read some more, Joe Stiglitz maybe, but I doubt you will. Okay, Benito.

[@Khiff]

@@Beeoriginal33 excuse me, but what exactly did you try to accomplish with your comments? I didn't mean to be rude, but just so you know, I could be mad at italian left wing and yet, politically speaking, I could be close to left wing: in that case, you made a powerful statement about the "leftists who make you puke", so you can't act like you're offended when you were disrespectful in the first place. But, back on the matter, once again, I don't mean to be rude, but you're offering just your opinions, no sources, no datas, no nothing (except about the electoral results on the last political elections of m5s which, even if it was true, so what? frankly, what you said doesn't add nothing to your previous questions about the relationship between facism and Meloni). You appear to have a just very generic knowledge of the current political system in Italy and that's it. You seem to know nothing about Meloni's past, the history of her party OR the current DDLs (which, in case you're wondering, are just italian laws in their initial stage) they are preparing (not to mention Sapolsky's notes and remarks about the interaction between poverty, SES and socioeconomical implications which, guess what, are an important piece in the story). I tried to mention just a few of the policies they are trying to push, you skipped them all. All you did was just making a very generic list of stuff you hate about left wing (as if scandals don't happen in the right wing of every country), and so what? You asked a question at first, I answered. You're just trying to pick a fight and confirm your bias, and that's okay, just admit it. I'm not gonna change your mind, we both know it, so I won't even bother.

[@nisnber5760]

How is every interview of him his best interview ever? Donno, but it's true.

[@ElleDuderino]

This man has completely changed my beliefs about humanity since I stumbled upon his teachings. He is such a revolutionary thinker and we are so lucky to have his ideas circulating in our society. Behave is such an important text and should be used and referenced as much as possible for future societal change. LONG LIVE ROBERT SAPOLSKY!

[@GeneTakovic225]

Hell yeah. If you like his ideas and want societal change, I suggest you read Peter Joseph's The New Human Rights Movement, where he applies the knowledge of people like Sapolsky as a roadmap for a better future. Sapolsky has appeared in Joseph's 3rd documentary, Zeitgeist: Moving Forward. RS is one of the main interviewies of the first half of the film, including other great minds like physician Gabor Maté, epidemiologist Richard Wilkinson and psychiatrist James Gilligan. They all also have very good, informative books.

[@ElleDuderino]

@@GeneTakovic225 thank you so much for all the recommends! I’m all about it and will definitely check it out. ☮️❤️✊

[@andrewbeva930]

Wow ! Robert Sapolsky.

[@Toskthehunted]

Robert Sabolsky you are my hero! If you ever come to germany especially Heidelberg I want to buy you a Coffee or three!

[@robbrown4621]

I went to high school with Robert. :)

[@SScherliss]

The takeaway for me was how completely tied in we are to a collective conscious . And within that everything that we do is an outgrowth of what we are not only as individuals but as an expression of the entirety of conscious being.

[@jazy3091]

27:14 the assumption that Iranian women didn't protest is false. There were constantly protests in Iran, despite the fact that regime was always cracking them with enormous violence. This time it's much more prominent for probably numerous of reasons, but it's not true that there were 40 years of silence and suddenly now people of Iran raised up.

[@Blogomor]

great interview!

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 💖💖

[@sarahpengelly8439]

I hope this is available later, travelling & can't watch now...

[@kristalkristal2506]

Thank you for an excellent interview. I've subscribed! :) You touched on the idea of learned helplessness. I've been thinking about that one a lot, too. I heard that the Russian FSB psy-ops turned the tide on the Belarussian democratic revolution by telling people not that they were wrong or that their situation was acceptable in any way, but rather by telling them that yes the situation is terrible and also that their efforts to change it were futile and hopeless. Putin's FSB psy-op propagandists made the Belarussians feel alone, hopeless, powerless and scared. This is how they got an advantage in a situation that was totally beyond their control. I have heard that this was the pivotal point for Lukashenko because his officials were already planning their escape. If the protesters had stayed out just a couple more weeks, most of the government would have run away to Russia like Yanukovych did in Ukraine, and Belarus would have its democracy now! This is all second hand and third hand information and put together from different sources that I find here or there in my ramblings, but I find the idea very interesting, nonetheless. I wonder to what extent a sense of learned helplessness has been cultivated among Russians who oppose the autocracy. It that's the case, it would explain all of the actions and choices that seem confusing to us who do not live in Russia.

[@kristalkristal2506]

@жы шы Thank you for sharing your perspective. I expect Putin would have attacked you, too. Lukashenko is an irredeemable monster, but the people of Belarus are an inspiration. I feel sure that you will be free of him within the next few years. It will be a beautiful thing to see.

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 💖💖

[@MicahBuzanANIMATION]

Such a fascinating guy. I really wish his audio was better though. The mic is fine but the background noises of the dog and some other noise I can't figure out can be distracting.

[@yokof2202]

Fascinating discussion! Could you kindly turn cc on? Thank you🙏

[@jasonchristenson1]

Robert draws upon facts but doesn't come off as scripted. He's so thoughtful, despite his wealth of knowledge.

[@MatzeMB85]

Fantastic video! Happy Sweden was used as an example. From a nation that valued conquest and religion above all else to a nation working for peace. I'm pretty sure it even pre-dates proper democracy in Sweden. But it should also be noted that building a strong economy only happened after the two world wars when Sweden had the resources and infrastructure to step up when the rest of Europe were war torn. Before that famine were very common and large parts of the population migrated to USA. Germany has made the same journey but faster. In this I still have hopes for Russia. I think that has been a common belief among Swedes that there was hope for Russia to change their ways. Might still be but the recent events has truly reset the clock.

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 💖💖

[@sergesolkatt]

Yay!

[@maxlson5439]

Wow. Well thought out questions and excellent answers.

[@z-horn7265]

Thank you for this interview!

[@evabragger9823]

Спасибо, что приготовили встречу с Сапольским, стыдно, что не подготовились к ней сами.

[@youtubeuser1993]

Amazing

[@Esther_Alder]

I can't agree with “there are no cultural differences” as well. I was a russian speaking Ukrainian. I moved to the US 8 years ago. I was cautious with russians because I already had a glimpse into the “russian world” Nevertheless, I met a few anti-putin russians here. All of them are amazing people; however, there are substantial cultural differences between us. Sometimes I feel much closer culturally to my American friends than to my russian friends. At the same time, I don't experience this difference with Ukrainians in the USA. I don't like all of them, often I can argue with them (we can be politically different, for example, and have a different approaches to human rights), however culturally, we are the same

[@stevenweiss2575]

But he is not saying there are not cultural differences, he is saying the cultural differences are not based in biology, meaning they are not genetic. The cultural differences are deep, being trained into u at birth.

[@stevenweiss2575]

Ah, sorry, now I hear what u are referring to, when Zygar days there are no cultural differences. Yes, that was not correct.

[@MrWandalen]

True

[@thefluffyfrog]

Typical ucranian narrative.

[@chapeloflights]

@@thefluffyfrogWhat's your problem with that being typical Ukrainian narrative?

[@seneca3124]

Wow!

[@kemalistdevrimturkaydnlanm168]

I agree with great mind of Prof Sapolsky.

[@Maria-vg6bx]

I loved the interview, thanks

[@JonnySparta]

Yea those are some fascinating ideas! Though I would have really liked to hear how he would apply those concepts on psychological development to the Russian people.

[@KileyLagan]

Alot of truth in some examples given by Mr. Sapolsky. Only a short time ago while watching Russians protesting the war & then the mobilization, I knew protests will fail. What I noticed both times was that they protest in groups but individually. As soon as a 5 cops grab one person (mostly women) & hauled them off. That was it. In Ukraine, Iran & other protests, if 5 cops jumped one protester, a crowd of 5 or more would help that person being arrested right away by overwhelming the police. THe concept being 10 of us against 5 of them wins. In Russia, they stop & watch - they don't protest together. It is why people say they are cowards they don't take the protest seriously. It is common knowledge that Putin uses the Pavlov's dog theory- take one person & haul them off to jail. And the bystanders become timid. Their is also the right time to protest & the length of time you do it. Now would be the best time in Russia to get out on the streets daily & be willing to fight as a group! Otherwise Putin knows he can control you 100%. For Mikhail, you have a long way to go since you still carry alot of Putin's propaganda in your thinking, even if you think you don't. I see your frustration & desire to change but like several of your guests have suggested, you need to face the real truth behind the myth of Russian Greatness & Special Race that Putin drills into your head on a daily basis for years. Putin's behaviour in Ukraine, Syria, Georgia, Chechnya is what your great grandparents witnessed back in history. Good luck with your growth & freedom.

[@user-gn9oz4hs3r]

В Иране или любой другой стране нет столько полицейских, сколько в России! В России полиция, росгвардия, казаки. На одного протестующего будет сотня полицейских! Мне иногда кажется, что в России только полицейские и военные остались.

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 💖💖

[@randybrown4774]

All hope and protest comes from assessing risk versus reward.

[@Pterodactyl3011]

It just shows that freedom is not a given, and need to be fought for every day. Individually against cognitive biases and as a society

[@dakotaswager4588]

I don't think that Robert knew how much noise the dog was making I wish the guy interviewing would have told him. I don't know why people are so scared to tell him anything I mean he seems like the most reasonable person. Sapolsky is so insightful it makes you wonder about the future if humans are going to start getting along and save ourselves.

[@anthonykenny1320]

Robert Sapolsky Stephen Kotkin Sean Carroll three intellectuals in the true sense of the word Pursuit of truth no matter where it leads

[@maxperkin3368]

Sounds like the interviewer had an agenda to push and Sapolsky was wise enough not yield to the interviewer's bias. 🙂

[@petrusk842]

What agenda is the Russian interviewer pushing?

[@ashamer7776]

What is the agenda about?

[@tolgatarkanolmez]

Stop asking the ongoing political conflicts to university professors, they don't know and it is not their job to know it.

[@rowdyriemer]

What Sapolsky mentions about people reconstructing their memories sounds like something that might actually be good on a group level in a variety of context, at least in cases where the group is correct as a whole, but individuals within that group might need their memories corrected. That might serve some group-level need when it's not hijacked for mass brainwashing.

[@SamSung-nf6tr]

Excellent

[@musashi8198]

What about Chinese babies from rice farming families that are adopted into individualistic societies? One child policy led to a lot of adoptions, so I am curious about this.

[@tnov2242]

Cultural differences are definitely there. Maybe he meant not same scale of the cultural differences as, let’s say, between Japanese and Chinese?

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 💖💖

[@snakeburrito2512]

Once ive smoked a good pot and you know how it happens, dove in deep synesthetic memory; there i was a baby, held by an adult, and through the hands holding me i felt the funk eating the grownup. I wasnt shaken, there was no pain, but the hands just felt like unsafety, like in a fucking bombshelter. Btw there was no war, its just that my mom is from a totalitarian family. The pathetic thing now urges me to go fight Ukranians, speaking of shame and duty. And she's made an abortion, frightened with the USSR collapse. A miserable thing with a trembling tail instead of a heart.

[@cosmicpsyops4529]

Do most academicians think in utopic or utilitarian terms for the optimisation analysis of society? How did you establish the objectivity of the pathology of imperialism?

[@edblarney9456]

He's a legit luminary in a world of noise.

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 💖💖

[@dr.mayawertheimer8857]

Yes, it's interesting; however, what's the practical 🤔 solution?

[@millaflea]

Спасибо, Миша!

[@francoisperrin7397]

Sapolsky was not comfortable answering geopolitical questions and that was fine because when speaking about behaviours, he has been clearly way above anyone. Anyway, I did not see Zygar interviewing John Mearsheimer however, he gave an audience to Bernard Henry Levy. Interviewing Sapolsky will not balance an overall poor choice of guests.

[@jamesfrancom8100]

Americans don't deal with the corruption of our leadership either. So Americans are just as avoidant as Russians, with respect to dealing with problems within their respective governments.

[@Nanamka]

I love your commentary on Steven Pinkler's theory. Your words describe what my gut told me, although I hoped Pinkler was right. And I still hope he is...

[@NP1066]

What's up with the background audio?

[@nickolay414]

25:40 it’s someone’s dog apparently

[@DeathRayGraphics]

I’m gonna light MYSELF on fire if this guy doesn’t put his dog out of the room.

[@waleedalgharabally9385]

I don’t get it Sorry

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 💖💖

[@GeneTakovic225]

I heard the dog and I just smiled. Not surprised in the least that he's a dog person.

[@VladyslavKL]

🕊

[@AlexthunderGnum]

What I really really really would like to hear is Sapolsky commenting on the Spiral Dynamics theory and the book (Don Beck if I remember correctly).

[@antoniosimon3458]

I am a big fan of Sapolsky, I often watch his lectures. But this interview is regretable. Not that much because of Sapolsky, regardless of how misinformed he is about the war in Ukraine. More because of the interviewer who obviously conducts the interview from a political position and tries to steer the conversation in the "why russia behaves bad" direction. The whole interview completely ignores the events which led to the war and the fact that Russia tried every realistic option to prevent the war since 2008 onwards. It also completely ignores the fact that the Russian government was ready to backpedal even after they started the invasion after Ukraine agreed to negotiate and neutrality was on the table, but then after Boris Johnson paid a visit to Zelensky, the later decided to change his mind. There is no way in hell that a person who is sufficiently informed on the events in and around Ukraine in the past 10 years and observes without taking side, will come to conclusion that Russia is to blame for the war. Every piece of evidence points to the USA and its vasal states, unfortunately, the truth is currently buried under a thick layer of propaganda, at least on the west, that is. Majority of the world knows the truth, and that is why most countries openly or silently support Russia. I feel sorry for Sapolsky tho, seeing how his brilliant work is being exploited here, somehow, I have a feeling that today, he regrets giving this interview as well

[@serhiileshchinskyi4058]

Hi from Ukraine! I'm curious, does Robert have any Polish roots? His surname is very similar to Polish surnames. My own is from Poland without a doubt. Glory to Ukraine! The truth will defeat the lies!

[@olgak4347]

Кажется Лещинские - это одна из фамилий данных евреям при Екатерине II после присоединения западных областей к России?

[@Esther_Alder]

Sapolsky was born in Brooklyn, New York, to immigrants from the Soviet Union. Because Ukraine and Poland have a significant Jewish population before WW2, I think, there is a high probability, that some of his ancestors lived in territories of modern Poland

[@user-ot1jc2sn1v]

Maybe, but if I am not wrong his granddad lived in Moscow and moved to the west from it after the revolution.

[@Will_Moffett]

Truth: the current regime running Ukraine took power by way of violentlt overthrowing a democratically elected government in 2014. You can read about this in any number of mainstream outlets like wikipedia or the nyt. It is an undisputed and incontrovertible fact that Russia is on the side of democracy now, fighting against a bunch of fascist neo nazis. The only debatable aspect is how many Nazis are in Ukraine and how much influence do they have.

[@elizabethkummerle6933]

I would like to hear what the professor thinks about the effect of constant violence , action packed films,guns ìn the media will play out in currant and future culture

[@yrmanja]

Imperialism and Past are mentioned in the interview. Some other words came to my mind while listening to the conversation - Cosmism, Resurrection. Several years ado I read a book written by Nikolai Fyodorov called Shadows of the Lost Ancestors. Mix of mega ideas like Cosmism, Eurasianism, Transhumanism is perhaps in the game. Here is a link of one of Boris Groys lectures: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZ2rYoiGoMiAl7s

[@davidwilkie9551]

The Forever War is a kind of heat equation structure, the bio-logical structure of maintaining standing wave metastability. Sean Carroll pointed out "everything is waves", in particular, e-Pi-i sync-duration, in entangled 1-0-infinity i-reflection containment pulse-evolution continuity. All the rest is Commentary. Some degree of Sciencing Re-search required to make local modifications..

[@lesleyjohnson8488]

I’m listening towards the end now, and I notice that Sapolsky (my idol, by the way) is missing a key element related to his point about white males of a lower socio-economic class having 10 year shorter life spans than the previous generation. Then he talks about these same white males collecting together online and creating groups out of their disappointment and humiliation in life. This sense of collective identity in suffering is precisely the cause (and in this case the inevitable outcome) of their actions. Collecting together is the truth of the situation - inside every collective action is a truth. It’s an honesty of experience and it is always legitimate. Of course action and pendulums swing too far always, but I think the plight of these white males must be attended to. The same man who wrote “the Crucible” (about the McCarthy era) also wrote “Death of a Salesman”, where Willy Loman desperately seeks for honor and legitimacy in his old age. He hasn’t earned it, but he needs it, all the same. We all do. So I think RS, who is always attentive to the shades and tonalities of each perspective on a given issue, has flattened this one in an uncharacteristic way. Trump supporters are legitimate, as were the Germans of the early 1930’s. Their actions ran counter to their real interests, but to negate their suffering is counterproductive and will only produce further violence until it is perceived.

[@SorryBeeinLate]

How cool it would be to get Pinker and Sapolsky to debate war and progress! Mikhail, if you're able to pull it off on your channel it'd be a historic discussion.

[@jeremywvarietyofviewpoints3104]

I don't think Pinker was saying war couldn't happen again only that war had declined and had the potential to continue to decline if enlightenment values are followed.

[@SorryBeeinLate]

@@jeremywvarietyofviewpoints3104 I agree, and he himself responded already to that kind of criticism. But they have opposing views that run deeper, since the Enlightenment is built around the idea of the individual and Sapolsky derives certain social consequences from his determinism and negation of free will.

[@jeremywvarietyofviewpoints3104]

@@SorryBeeinLate I thought neither of them believe in free will?

[@SorryBeeinLate]

@@jeremywvarietyofviewpoints3104 I think you're right! But I believe Pinker's position is close to Dennet's, he is a compatibilist. Which would mean that physical lack of free will and fundamental determinism is not very consequential for the social life. While Sapolsky, if I'm not mistaken, goes all in with his deterministic stance calling for a corresponding revision of judicial system, politics, etc.

[@justgivemethetruth]

@@jeremywvarietyofviewpoints3104 Pinker is so full of it. You can't make the kinds of inferences that he makes because natural phenomenon, human behavior is chaotic and unstable. We try to stabilize it with society and rules, but at any time there are cheaters in any system that can crash it, or pervert it.

[@mihainicolae4445]

Sapolsky should be studied in schools. Its amazing!

[@kueichenglee7583]

Fun! 24:35

[@_meta_data_9992]

My favorite guy Sapolsky, Behave is super!

[@jeanne8264]

It’s good that we will probably finally accept the fact that we are all just humans, in our worst and best.

[@zavierorlos1948]

The Brain of Sapolsky is a very interesting Organ. I wonder how he got to be that wise.

[@julianterris]

Another fascinating convo. Thank uou both! Putin bet on getting the gas reserves in Ukraine to ensble him to prosecute the war, now he's hanging in there for the Crimean ports, the faster that he and his Generals (and the common people) are convinced that can't happen, the faster the invasion will emplode. The people need to see the reality of their loses, and measure them against their meagre gains. When the food disappears from the supermarket shelves, there will be the collapse of Putin's regime.

[@GLang_E]

Found the eng version

[@ilyasimakov245]

It'd be awesome if I could hear Sapolsky without hearing Zygar stutter through his questions, which sometimes don't even seem to be questions specifically for the person he interviews, but just general questions.

[@tammyscott9664]

He’s doing a great job considering he is speaking in his second language…sometimes we have to offer a bit of grace to others…