Behave
The bestselling exploration of why humans behave as they do
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- 10,99 €
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- 10,99 €
Publisher Description
Why do human beings behave as they do?
'Awe-inspiring... You will learn more about human nature than in any other book I can think of' Henry Marsh, bestselling author of And Finally.
We are capable of savage acts of violence but also spectacular feats of kindness: is one side of our nature destined to win out over the other?
Every act of human behaviour has multiple layers of causation, spiralling back seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, years, even centuries, right back to the dawn of time and the origins of our species.
In the epic sweep of history, how does our biology affect the arc of war and peace, justice and persecution? How have our brains evolved alongside our cultures?
This is the exhilarating story of human morality and the science underpinning the biggest question of all: what makes us human?
'One of the best scientist-writers of our time' Oliver Sacks
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Sapolsky (Monkeyluv), professor of biology at Stanford, looks at human behavior from myriad interrelated perspectives, endeavoring to explain humans strange and often contradictory behavior. He predominantly focuses on exploring the biology of violence, aggression, and competition through the lenses of neuroscience, anthropology, psychology, genetics, evolutionary biology, political science, and communication theory. Sapolsky takes complex ideas from the scientific literature, including his own research, and attempts to balance the pros and cons of every conclusion. He weaves science storytelling with humor to keep readers engaged while advancing his main point about the complexity and interconnectedness of all aspects of behavior. For Sapolsky, context is everything. For example, in discussing genetics he urges readers to repeat the mantra: don t ask what a gene does; ask what it does in a particular context. Understanding such complexity can potentially lead toward a more just and peaceful society, Sapolsky says. He recognizes that this ambition may seem hopeless but argues that it is essential. Finally, he contends and demonstrates that you don t have to choose between being scientific and being compassionate. Sapolsky s big ideas deserve a wide audience and will likely shape thinking for some time.
