Perspective

Robert Sapolsky makes his ideological biases fairly clear throughout the book. He was raised by communist parents as a 'red-diaper baby.' While he himself does not appear to have been a communist, he often makes jokes about his history as a child of Old Left parents. This seems to seep into his scientific work, as he finds that hierarchy, stress and health are all related. If a baboon finds himself at the bottom of a social hierarchy he will find himself with a increased level of stress which will in turn decrease his health. While such a view is not exclusive to those on the political left, it is most emphasized by them.

Sapolsky is what might be termed an apostle of science. For instance, while he never tries to convince the Masai that their religious beliefs are false he does, on two occasions, attempt to convince...