Behave
Behave is at once a dazzling tour and a majestic synthesis of the whole
science of human behaviour. Brought to life through simple language,
engaging stories and irreverent wit, it offers the fullest picture yet
of the origins of tribalism and xenophobia, hierarchy and competition,
morality and free will, war and peace.
Robert Sapolsky’s
ingenious method is to move backwards in time from the moment at which a
behaviour occurs, layer by layer through the myriad influences that led
to it:
- We begin with the split-second reactions of the brain and nervous system…
- Then we consider our response to sight, sound and smell in the minutes and seconds beforehand…
- Next he explains the interactions of hormones, which prime our behaviour in the preceding hours and days…
- He proceeds through the experiences of adolescence, childhood and foetal development that shape us over our lifespans…
-
And continues over centuries and millennia through the profound
influences of genetic inheritance, cultural context and ultimately the
evolutionary origins of our species.
Throughout, Sapolsky
considers the most important question: what causes acts of aggression or
compassion? What inspires us to terrible deeds and what might help
foster our best behaviour?
Wise, humane, often very funny,
Behave is a towering achievement, powerfully humanizing, that is
unlikely to be surpassed for many years.
Product details
- Paperback: 800 pages
- Publisher: Random House UK (24 May 2017)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1847924719
- ISBN-13: 978-1847924711
- Product Dimensions: 15.3 x 4.3 x 23.4 cm
