The Trouble With Testosterone: And Other Essays On The Biology Of The Human Predicament by Robert M. Sapolsky (PDF)

Description

Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize From the man who Oliver Sacks hailed as “one of the best scientist/writers of our time,” a collection of sharply observed, uproariously funny essays on the biology of human culture and behavior.In the tradition of Stephen Jay Gould and Oliver Sacks, Robert Sapolsky offers a sparkling and erudite collection of essays about science, the world, and our relation to both. “The Trouble with Testosterone” explores the influence of that notorious hormone on male aggression. “Curious George’s Pharmacy” reexamines recent exciting claims that wild primates know how to medicate themselves with forest plants. “Junk Food Monkeys” relates the adventures of a troop of baboons who stumble upon a tourist garbage dump. And “Circling the Blanket for God” examines the neurobiological roots underlying religious belief. Drawing on his career as an evolutionary biologist and neurobiologist, Robert Sapolsky writes about the natural world vividly and insightfully. With candor, humor, and rich observations, these essays marry cutting-edge science with humanity, illuminating the interconnectedness of the world’s inhabitants with skill and flair.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “Ask fans of popular science to name the best science essayists today, and the name of Sapolsky should not immediately come to mind. This book should help to change that.” ― Library Journal (starred review)”Sapolsky draws fascinating parallels between humans and our close primate relatives and provides abundant details about some of the latest breaking discoveries in neurobiology . . . [He] packs his treatments of them with wisdom and delightful surprises.” ― Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)”In the end it is the refreshing honesty of this scientist-teacher, his zeal to speculate as well as to clearly present the facts, that engages the reader. That, and a deft and often witty way with words.” ― Kirkus”[T]he book makes for very interesting and enjoyable reading. Those who have read Sapolsky’s earlier books will be familiar with his casual and accessible style of writing. Although the ideas he presents are complex and often provocative, the facts are kept relatively simple. Throughout, the science is interspersed with personal anecdotes and humorous asides.” ― Nature Medicine About the Author Robert M. Sapolsky is the author of several works of nonfiction, including A Primate’s Memoir, The Trouble with Testosterone, and Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers. He is a professor of biology and neurology at Stanford University and the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation genius grant. He lives in San Francisco.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Robert Sapolsky is an American treasure. You can also check out his videos on utube from his Human Biology classes at Stanford University. I’ll read anything he writes. His books are informative, funny, poignant, and interesting.

⭐Is it possible for a man who has won a MacArthur genius grant to be underappreciated? Reading this set of essays I have to wonder why Sapolsky is not as widely read and commented on as Dawkins, Sacks, Gleick and those other few at the absolute pinnacle of popular science writing.The tales here cover his familiar subjects: the mind and emotions (one is tempted to say the soul), stress and our reactions, and how brain chemistry effects us every day. He also relates anecdotes from his baboon observations, and in the most touching essay talks about his father’s life and death. The essays are gathered from several years and several magazines and each stands on its own…there is no particular theme beyond the aforementioned subject matter. The best is probably about how we sometimes take on the identity of another: illustrated by an anecdote where he watched Stephen Hawking give a lecture “through” the voice and body of a vigorous young graduate student, and Sapolsky’s own odd reaction to his father’s death. It is interesting, mildly disturbing and raises some ideas about individuality I certainly had never considered. In another essay, Sapolsky describes why so many illnesses have the same symptoms (its because it is our own immune systems that make us feel so crummy). Elsewhere he draws parallels betweens kids going off to college and male baboons switching tribes, and in yet another essay compares aging in baboons and humans.So, should you read this book?”Yes”, if you have read other Sapolsky books and are looking for more.”Yes”, if you have heard about Sapolsky and want an introduction before diving into one of the larger works (though I still think ‘A Primate’s Memoir’ is the best place to start).”Yes”, if you are interested in the brain and/or like good science writing.

⭐There was one good chapter in the book – the one about Testosterone. I think the author has the Phd disease – he just thinks too much of his own opinions. He can’t resist lecturing the reader about being part of community – while it is obvious that he has not spent any of his life toiling to produce wealth.I’ve read a lot of science books – I’m not a light weight reader. Mr. Sapolsky seems to fancy himself to be like Oliver Sacks(The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat: And Other Clinical Tales) – but he is not. He can’t seem to hide the dripping condescension towards the common man.I’m not put off by brilliant writers – I totally enjoyed Nick Lane’s books (Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life – besides 2 others). I loved Richard Feynman’s books – which leads me to the second point.While he tells us about the limitations of science in the chapter about Testosterone – I had the feeling he was parroting others – and then in other chapters – he fails to have much skepticism and just ‘knows’ why animals he watched did the things they did. Quotes only the papers that support his take – without doing the bending over backward a real scientist does to try to prove himself wrong. A real scientist needs to be humble – quite humble – and that is my complaint – he comes off as a privileged elite.Yes, the effects of testosterone are not linear (not else in biology is either). Yes, the public misunderstands the effects and confuses the effects of a rising level with a high level. But there was more to be learned here. Very high levels also cause the Testosterone to be converted to Estrogen – and papers where only one level is measured is really not worth quoting as we don’t know which is the cause. If only he had really explored the topic and understood the difference between published papers and published papers that are more than grant seeking behavior – contain real science etc..Not all opinions are of equal weight – after a few chapters I didn’t trust his take on much of anything. (Of course I could be full of it as well – I’m just a nobody). I really thought this book was going to be better.

⭐Sapolsky may be the best neuroscience writer alive, with the demise of O. Sacks. Sapolsky’s magnum opus is “Why Zebras Don’t get Ulcers,” dealing with stress/anxiety in the Keekorok baboon troop that he and his grad students have studied in the Masai Mara for almost 3 decades. But that entertaining book may be a little long and one can get the basics in Chapters 10, 13, and 15. In the 21st century is “flight-or-fight” the correct ANS response from our evolutionary ancestors – or is “tend and befriend” a better, cooperative strategy to resolve differences? Although some politicians think otherwise, cooperation is the new competition. The “T. with Testosterone” book is one of short essays/reports, more digestible for the YouTube/TED generation, better IMHO than Sapolsky’s columns in the WSJournal. The book allows us to learn from a longitudinal study of baboons, whose life-span is 25 years. The “The Graying of the Troop” chapter will be of particular interest to those seniors who were in upper administration. Have we advanced beyond baboons in terms of how we treat seniors?

⭐As if they hired a think tank to do original research into how to make their print quality noticeably worse than their competitors. to distinguish themselves. stunning in its bad-ness

⭐Il testo è diviso in sezioni, spesso saggi raccolti e non frutto di una sola trattazione da inizio a fine.Ciònonostante, chi dovesse conoscere il saggista e lo scienziato Robert Sapolsky, non rimarrà deluso. Chi invece non lo dovesse conoscere, scoprirà uno scrittore suggestivo, intrigante e molto colto che lo condurrà attraverso la biologia, la neurobiologia, la biochimica e la psicologia.Completa bene le opere di Sapolsky. Andrebbe letto assieme a Perché alle zebre non viene l’ulcera e L’uomo bestiale. Come l’ambiente e i geni costruiscono la nostra identità perché sia per tema che per aderenza argomentativa, risulta incastrarsi perfettamente assieme a questi due.Il linguaggio è semplice ma non banale. Da studente di medicina lo apprezzo per le connessioni tra lo studio e la materia di studio. Da ordinario lettore, lo apprezzo perché assieme ad altri pochi altri è un comunicatore d’avanguardia. Colma un gap che si avvertiva nelle neuroscienze.Consigliato sia a chi già studia nel suo campo, sia chi, pur non studiandone ne è semplicemente incuriosito.

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⭐L’autore è veramente molto molto competente. Oltre ad essere uno dei massimi esperti nell’ambito della biologia e delle neuroscienze, è anche un ottimo scrittore. Libro che scorre piacevolmente e che trasmette importanti informazioni sulla mente e sul comportamento umano.

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⭐schrott…

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⭐Ok

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