Philosophy
Every time scientists have tried to come up with a set of defining characteristics of what it means to be human, subsequent observation has revealed that there are other species who share those features previously thought to be unique to us...
We are faced with a puzzle: on the one hand, given our shared evolutionary history, we should expect to be quite similar to our evolutionary cousins; on the other hand, given our close genetic relatedness to chimps and bonobos, we should be more similar to them than we actually are. So what gives?
In the following absolutely fascinating presentation, Robert Sapolsky deploys a brief intro into many now classic scientific experiments. Armed with this evidence, he organizes the ways in which we are similar to other species, and how sometimes we take those similarities to hitherto unknown extremes. In the end, he posits his thoughts about some abilities and quirks that may not have any counterpart in the animal kingdom. Agree or disagree, this talk is certainly worth watching.
If you can't get enough Sapolsky, watch him talk about the weird world of toxoplasmosis, or listen to him explain how hormones can affect our minds.
And if you're outside the US and can't watch Hulu, you can also find the talk in the FORA.tv site.
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- Electric Vocabulary
Why do we call electricity "electricity"? Why do we talk about its "charge"? Or talk about whether that charge is "positive" or "negative"? And why do we refer to a device to store electricity as a "battery"? One great way to find out about the fascinating...
- Jonathan Drori - The Beautiful Tricks Of Flowers
In the game of evolution, the winners are those who successfully manage to survive and reproduce, and one of the best ways to do the latter is sexually. If you simply made perfect copies of yourself, there wouldn't be enough genetic diversity in your...
- Isabel Behncke - Evolution's Gift Of Play, From Bonobos To Humans
When you compare the regular chimpanzee and the bonobo, one of the most striking differences is the presence of sometimes incredible violence in the former and the complete absence of it in the latter (at least as far as we have been able to observe over...
- Ken Miller - Where Is The Missing Human Chromosome?
One curious difference between humans and the rest of the great apes is the fact that the latter all seem to have one more chromosome than we do. Now, since evolutionary theory predicts a very close genetic relationship to our closest cousins, this oddity...
- Alien Persona--human Arrogance?
I have often been amused that many alien representations are humanoid. Watch a few episodes of the Star Trek series and you will discover that aliens can be rocks and pure energy. Is it human arrogance to believe they resemble humans? "Will E.T. Look...
Philosophy
Robert Sapolsky - Are Humans Just Another Primate?
Every time scientists have tried to come up with a set of defining characteristics of what it means to be human, subsequent observation has revealed that there are other species who share those features previously thought to be unique to us...We are faced with a puzzle: on the one hand, given our shared evolutionary history, we should expect to be quite similar to our evolutionary cousins; on the other hand, given our close genetic relatedness to chimps and bonobos, we should be more similar to them than we actually are. So what gives?
In the following absolutely fascinating presentation, Robert Sapolsky deploys a brief intro into many now classic scientific experiments. Armed with this evidence, he organizes the ways in which we are similar to other species, and how sometimes we take those similarities to hitherto unknown extremes. In the end, he posits his thoughts about some abilities and quirks that may not have any counterpart in the animal kingdom. Agree or disagree, this talk is certainly worth watching.
If you can't get enough Sapolsky, watch him talk about the weird world of toxoplasmosis, or listen to him explain how hormones can affect our minds.
And if you're outside the US and can't watch Hulu, you can also find the talk in the FORA.tv site.
.
- Electric Vocabulary
Why do we call electricity "electricity"? Why do we talk about its "charge"? Or talk about whether that charge is "positive" or "negative"? And why do we refer to a device to store electricity as a "battery"? One great way to find out about the fascinating...
- Jonathan Drori - The Beautiful Tricks Of Flowers
In the game of evolution, the winners are those who successfully manage to survive and reproduce, and one of the best ways to do the latter is sexually. If you simply made perfect copies of yourself, there wouldn't be enough genetic diversity in your...
- Isabel Behncke - Evolution's Gift Of Play, From Bonobos To Humans
When you compare the regular chimpanzee and the bonobo, one of the most striking differences is the presence of sometimes incredible violence in the former and the complete absence of it in the latter (at least as far as we have been able to observe over...
- Ken Miller - Where Is The Missing Human Chromosome?
One curious difference between humans and the rest of the great apes is the fact that the latter all seem to have one more chromosome than we do. Now, since evolutionary theory predicts a very close genetic relationship to our closest cousins, this oddity...
- Alien Persona--human Arrogance?
I have often been amused that many alien representations are humanoid. Watch a few episodes of the Star Trek series and you will discover that aliens can be rocks and pure energy. Is it human arrogance to believe they resemble humans? "Will E.T. Look...