http://www.sackett.net/sapolsky_behave.pdf
At this point in the semester, you have read, written,
and thought much about the vast variety of influences on human behavior that scientists have recorded across many
different scientific disciplines. You have finished Sapolsky’s text, and in the last two chapters
(Chs. 16 & 17), he has laid out two important arguments. First, he has
articulated an argument regarding his view of both the criminal justice system,
and human free will – specifically, what we need to do to reform criminal justice
in light of his position on free will. Second, he has offered his view of the
future of human behavior regarding whether humans progressively move toward our
best behaviors or our worst behaviors.
What you must do is write an essay
that accomplishes two things:
First you must
summarize, in your own words, what Sapolsky has to say in these two main
arguments. His first argument, regarding the future of criminal justice is the
more complex, and is boiled down to three main things. In Part 1, make sure you
clearly summarize all three. Sapolsky’s second argument about his view of the
future of human behavior can be boiled down a little more succinctly, so just
include that in Part 3.
Second, for each of the two arguments he makes, you must articulate your
thoughts in response to his arguments. If you disagree with him, you must
formulate an argument against his argument, supported by at least two pieces of
reputable scientific evidence (that Sapolsky cites in the text, or that you
find in a peer-reviewed journal outside of the text). If you agree with him,
you must formulate an argument in support of his argument, again supported by
at least two pieces of reputable scientific evidence. Again, you will write two
arguments, in support of or in opposition to Sapolsky’s arguments. In Part 2,
you will make your argument about criminal justice reform. In Part 3, you will
make your argument about your view of the future of human behavior. Each argument
must be supported by two pieces of evidence sourced outside of Sapolsky’s text.
I’ve broken these tasks into three parts, because I want you to spend an
equal amount of time and an equal amount of writing on each of those three parts. Do your best to
construct this like a coherent single essay that covers these three main areas. Also, do your best to
format it according to the guidelines of APA style, with no title page or abstract, but with a
references list at the end in APA style. Your essay should be at least 500 and
no more than 750 words.
Questions that your essay will answer
Part 1
We now come to one of the core arguments of the entire book. Sapolsky argues
that science will progressively narrow or eliminate the dominion of free will –
which, by this point, is no surprise. The question is, under those
circumstances, how can the criminal justice system be reformed in a way that
reflects this knowledge? a) Briefly Summarize the three things (easy,
near-impossible, and challenging) that Sapolsky argues should be done.
Part 2
Describe your own thoughts on each (of the three things that Sapolsky
argues should be
done).
Part 3
Make an argument regarding your view of the future of human behavior. a)
Specifically address whether humans are more likely to move toward more of our
best behaviors, or toward more of our worst behaviors. b) Support your argument
with at least two pieces of evidence that are either from the texts assigned
for this class – or evidence that comes from other reputable sources (e.g., peer-reviewed articles, or books like Behave that review the
evidence from such articles and make arguments regarding them).
I have attached a link for the online pdf version of the book “Behave” by Robert M. Sapolsky.
This essay will be based solely on chapters 16 & 17 from that book. Apart from the book, 2
other outside sources are required for this essay. So that means 3 sources in total. Thank
you.
