We're living in primate heaven. We're warm, dry, we're not hungry, we don't have fleas and ticks and infections. So why are we so miserable?

The human capacity for compassion is not a reflex that is triggered automatically by the presence of another living thing.

Why are empirical questions about how the mind works so weighted down with political and moral and emotional baggage?

The way to understand how different species evolved is to think about the niches that they fill in an ecosystem - basically, how they make a living.

Terrorist bombings, like rampage shootings, are events that maximize the amount of publicity per amount of damage. That's why people do them, because they know they will set off a media frenzy.

Why is it surprising that scientists might have long hair and wear cowboy boots? In fields like neuroscience, where the events you are recording are so minute, I suspect scientists cultivate a boring, reliable image. A scientist with a reputation for flamboyance might be suspect.