People I (Mostly) Admire 18. Robert Sapolsky: “I Don’t Think We Have Any Free Will Whatsoever.”
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Apr 18, 2026 
Robert Sapolsky, Stanford neuroendocrinologist and primatologist who spent years living with baboons, talks about fieldwork, stress physiology, and why social bonds matter more than rank. He shares blowgun tales, a devastating TB outbreak, and moral puzzles about valuing humans over animals. He also argues against free will and rethinks punishment and containment.
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Would He Save A Baboon Or A Human
- Asked whether he'd save a human or a baboon, Sapolsky joked he'd write a paper and admitted his choice would depend on the individual.
- He later acknowledged he might privately favor saving a baboon but couldn't publicly say so.
Amygdala Makes Instant Us Versus Them
- Humans rapidly form us-versus-them distinctions via the amygdala in under a tenth of a second, explaining why we value humans over other species.
- Unlike baboons, humans can override and re-categorize who counts as 'us', sometimes extending kin-like value to pets.
Harambe Decision Was Agonizing But Necessary
- Sapolsky felt devastated by the Cincinnati Zoo decision to shoot Harambe but concluded it was the correct agonizing call to prevent catastrophic harm to a child.
- He met the shooter and empathized with the human difficulty of that split-second decision.