Transcript

Your frontal cortex is the part of your brain that is the freest from genetic influences, because it's still being sculpted by environment and experience a quarter century after you plopped out there, whereas most of the rest of your brain is sculpted by two or three years worth of experience. Whoa, we evolved, our genes evolved to free our frontal cortex from strict genetic determinism and to make it much more sculpted by environmental determinism.

Today on big thing, we delve into a thought provoking conversation with Dr. Robert Sapolsky. He shares with us his insights on his concept of freewill or the lack thereof, and its profound implications for humanity. Robert Sapolsky is a distinguished professor at Stanford University, acclaimed for his expertise in biology, neurology and neurosurgery. renowned as a MacArthur Genius fellow and a research associate at the National Museum of Kenya. Sapolsky offers a unique perspective on the human condition. Drawing from over three decades of experience as both a field primatologist and a laboratory neuroscientists widely hailed as one of the best science writers of our time. Sapolsky is the author of several best selling books, including why zebras don't get ulcers to trouble with testosterone, and his latest work determined. Dr. Robert Sapolsky. Thank you for joining us on big thing today.