My guest today, Robert Sapolsky, may know more about baboons in the wild than anyone

else on the planet.

On top of that, he's a leading neuroscientist who's made breakthrough discoveries on stress

and gene therapy.

He also devils in philosophy, arguing that free will is nothing but an illusion.

On top of all that, he's found the time to write a half dozen best-selling and critically

acclaimed books.

Welcome to People I Mostly Admire, with Steve Levitt.

This will be my first time talking to Robert Sapolsky, and I'm really curious to see what

it's like.

I've read every one of his books so in an odd way he feels like a friend, even though

I've never met him or even heard his voice.

In pictures he's got a big white beard and long curly hair that would make Santa Claus

jealous, which has led me to make all sorts of assumptions about how he'll speak and

even about his personality.

We shall see if looks are deceiving.

Now the two topics I want to cover for sure today are stress in humans, and that's a topic

in which he's an expert and I am absolutely not an expert in violence where we both might

have legitimate claims to be experts, although we've approached the issue from opposite perspectives.

I suspect those two parts of the conversation will be very different.

But before we hit those topics, I want to hear about the baboons.

Robert, it's so good to meet you.

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