Lectures: Intro to Human Behavioral Biology

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Lectures: Intro to Human Behavioral Biology

Post by Robert_S » Mon Feb 25, 2013 4:15 pm

I found this last week.



It's the first in an entire Stanford University class.

The course has been designed to be accessible to people without much of a science background and I haven't been too out of my depth so far in this.

Robert Sapolsky has a easy-going style and a very impressive bead. I first got introduced to him and his work about a year
What I've found with a few discussions I've had lately is this self-satisfaction that people express with their proffessed open mindedness. In realty it ammounts to wilful ignorance and intellectual cowardice as they are choosing to not form any sort of opinion on a particular topic. Basically "I don't know and I'm not going to look at any evidence because I'm quite happy on this fence."
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Re: Lectures: Intro to Human Behavioral Biology

Post by mistermack » Tue May 21, 2013 10:18 am

I don't get it.

Practically everything we buy is coming from China, and yet classes full of people are studying Human Behavioral Biology.
No wonder there is a trade deficit.

I wonder how many Chinese are studying Human Behavioral Biology?
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Re: Lectures: Intro to Human Behavioral Biology

Post by PsychoSerenity » Tue May 21, 2013 10:33 am

Yes that's an absolutely amazing lecture series - I learnt so much, and unlearned quite a few things in just the first few lectures. Unfortunately I got rather too busy with other things at one point and stopped watching them, but I kept meaning to pick it up again, so maybe now is the time!

Mistermack, this is essentially the science that underlies much of social philosophy, - its importance should not be underestimated in any society hoping for progress.
[Disclaimer - if this is comes across like I think I know what I'm talking about, I want to make it clear that I don't. I'm just trying to get my thoughts down]

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Re: Lectures: Intro to Human Behavioral Biology

Post by Audley Strange » Tue May 21, 2013 10:45 am

mistermack wrote:I don't get it.

Practically everything we buy is coming from China, and yet classes full of people are studying Human Behavioral Biology.
No wonder there is a trade deficit.

I wonder how many Chinese are studying Human Behavioral Biology?
Probably millions.
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Re: Lectures: Intro to Human Behavioral Biology

Post by mistermack » Tue May 21, 2013 10:57 am

PsychoSerenity wrote:Yes that's an absolutely amazing lecture series - I learnt so much, and unlearned quite a few things in just the first few lectures. Unfortunately I got rather too busy with other things at one point and stopped watching them, but I kept meaning to pick it up again, so maybe now is the time!

Mistermack, this is essentially the science that underlies much of social philosophy, - its importance should not be underestimated in any society hoping for progress.
Yeh right. Progress would grind to a halt without social philosophy.

But wait a minute, didn't social philosophy kill six million jews, a few years ago? Or was Pol Pot not interested in social philosophy?
That sort of progress I can do without. Philosophizing about society does more harm than good.
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Re: Lectures: Intro to Human Behavioral Biology

Post by PsychoSerenity » Tue May 21, 2013 11:19 am

Well score one for anti-intellectualism. :roll:
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Re: Lectures: Intro to Human Behavioral Biology

Post by mistermack » Tue May 21, 2013 11:25 am

PsychoSerenity wrote:Well score one for anti-intellectualism. :roll:
No, anti-intellectualism exactly WAS Pol Pot's social philosophy.
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Re: Lectures: Intro to Human Behavioral Biology

Post by FBM » Tue May 21, 2013 11:26 am

I'm watching it in another window. So far so good. :pop:
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Re: Lectures: Intro to Human Behavioral Biology

Post by Robert_S » Tue May 21, 2013 3:23 pm

Oh, I've neglected it. Stopped at the neuroscience lecture some time ago.

I gotta get some lunch, then I'll start it up again.
What I've found with a few discussions I've had lately is this self-satisfaction that people express with their proffessed open mindedness. In realty it ammounts to wilful ignorance and intellectual cowardice as they are choosing to not form any sort of opinion on a particular topic. Basically "I don't know and I'm not going to look at any evidence because I'm quite happy on this fence."
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Re: Lectures: Intro to Human Behavioral Biology

Post by Robert_S » Tue May 21, 2013 3:27 pm

Audley Strange wrote:
mistermack wrote:I don't get it.

Practically everything we buy is coming from China, and yet classes full of people are studying Human Behavioral Biology.
No wonder there is a trade deficit.

I wonder how many Chinese are studying Human Behavioral Biology?
Probably millions.
I don't see what you're on about mistermack?
What I've found with a few discussions I've had lately is this self-satisfaction that people express with their proffessed open mindedness. In realty it ammounts to wilful ignorance and intellectual cowardice as they are choosing to not form any sort of opinion on a particular topic. Basically "I don't know and I'm not going to look at any evidence because I'm quite happy on this fence."
-Mr P

The Net is best considered analogous to communication with disincarnate intelligences. As any neophyte would tell you. Do not invoke that which you have no facility to banish.
Audley Strange

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Re: Lectures: Intro to Human Behavioral Biology

Post by Xamonas Chegwé » Tue May 21, 2013 3:41 pm

Robert_S wrote:
Audley Strange wrote:
mistermack wrote:I don't get it.

Practically everything we buy is coming from China, and yet classes full of people are studying Human Behavioral Biology.
No wonder there is a trade deficit.

I wonder how many Chinese are studying Human Behavioral Biology?
Probably millions.
I don't see what you're on about mistermack?
Really? That's never happened before. :tea:
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Re: Lectures: Intro to Human Behavioral Biology

Post by mistermack » Thu May 23, 2013 1:08 pm

Robert_S wrote:
Audley Strange wrote:
mistermack wrote:I don't get it.

Practically everything we buy is coming from China, and yet classes full of people are studying Human Behavioral Biology.
No wonder there is a trade deficit.

I wonder how many Chinese are studying Human Behavioral Biology?
Probably millions.
I don't see what you're on about mistermack?
Human behavioral biology? What's the fucking point?
How many actually go on to do useful work in that field? I'm on about the huge numbers of people doing useless degrees.
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Re: Lectures: Intro to Human Behavioral Biology

Post by Gawdzilla Sama » Thu May 23, 2013 1:13 pm

mistermack wrote:Human behavioral biology? What's the fucking point?
How many actually go on to do useful work in that field? I'm on about the huge numbers of people doing useless degrees.
A bachelor's degree shows that you can work without supervision.
A master's shows that you don't want to.
A Ph.D. shows how determined you are not to work before you absolutely have to.
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Re: Lectures: Intro to Human Behavioral Biology

Post by Tyrannical » Thu May 23, 2013 1:25 pm

mistermack wrote:
Human behavioral biology? What's the fucking point?
How many actually go on to do useful work in that field? I'm on about the huge numbers of people doing useless degrees.[/quote]

Behavioral genetics explains a lot :prof:
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Re: Lectures: Intro to Human Behavioral Biology

Post by Robert_S » Sun Jul 28, 2013 3:11 pm

Tyrannical wrote:
mistermack wrote:
Human behavioral biology? What's the fucking point?
How many actually go on to do useful work in that field? I'm on about the huge numbers of people doing useless degrees.
Behavioral genetics explains a lot :prof:[/quote]

Genetics and environment interact at more levels and in more complex than I had previously imagined.

Mistermack, someone is gong to be looking at this stuff and exploiting it for their own good at the expense of others. The more knowledge is disseminated, the less vulnerable people are to exploitation.

And it's fucking free.

Anyway, I'm just bumping this thread because I've slacked off at lecture 10 and want to embarrass myself into sitting through the less exciting guest lectures.
What I've found with a few discussions I've had lately is this self-satisfaction that people express with their proffessed open mindedness. In realty it ammounts to wilful ignorance and intellectual cowardice as they are choosing to not form any sort of opinion on a particular topic. Basically "I don't know and I'm not going to look at any evidence because I'm quite happy on this fence."
-Mr P

The Net is best considered analogous to communication with disincarnate intelligences. As any neophyte would tell you. Do not invoke that which you have no facility to banish.
Audley Strange

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