Colin’s Reviews > Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst > Status Update
Colin
is on page 30 of 790
Interesting distinction between how strongly a trait is “inherited” and the “heritability” score of that trait. The former measures the impact of genetic factors on the average expression of the trait in the population, whereas the latter measures the impact of genetic factors on the variability of that trait within the population. Case in point: number of fingers is strongly inherited but weakly heritable.
— Jun 12, 2020 08:38PM
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Colin
is 80% done
Sapolsky rejects the notion of free will - we are the sum of complex biological factors that we don’t understand. Analogy to people who burned epileptics - we understand now that it’s the disease and not the spirit. What more today, when we attribute good and evil to an immaterial spirit? Consequently, justice should be rehabilitative and harm-preventing, not “pleasurably” punitive
— Jul 21, 2020 09:19PM
Colin
is on page 30 of 790
There is less of a nature/nurture dichotomy as there is the notion that much gene expression is highly dependent on environment. Both genetic and environmental factors need to kick in for certain traits (e.g. aggressiveness in the case of a “warrior gene” needs to have been coupled with a history of childhood abuse to manifest.)
— Jun 12, 2020 09:27PM
Colin
is on page 30 of 790
Childhood matters in determining propensities for adult behavior. The book explains the genetic reasons for this otherwise obvious factoid.
— Jun 11, 2020 10:47AM
Colin
is on page 20 of 790
Testosterone doesn’t cause aggression, it amplifies emotional responses and behaviors arising from specific contexts
— May 13, 2020 06:27AM
Colin
is on page 20 of 790
Best and worst behaviors. Like a more balanced version of zimbardo
— Mar 30, 2020 06:50PM
