Big Think Why sex, food, and shelter aren’t enough for Homo Sapiens | Agustín Fuentes
Oct 10, 2025
Agustín Fuentes, a Princeton University anthropology professor and author, delves into the complexities of human belief systems. He explains that our prolonged childhood allows for rich social learning, which profoundly shapes our perceptions and ideologies. Fuentes emphasizes that belief—far beyond religion—structurally influences our biology, from hormones to gut health. He also discusses how conflicting beliefs can lead to societal strife, urging a blend of science, tradition, and creativity to build a more harmonious future.
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Giraffe Baby Versus Human Infant
- Fuentes contrasts helpless human infants with newborn giraffes that can run within hours to illustrate human developmental uniqueness.
- This contrast highlights why human life history leads to prolonged dependency and social learning.
Extended Childhood Shapes Our Brains
- Human infants are born with brains only about 40% of adult size, so brain development happens largely after birth in social contexts.
- This extended childhood makes our brains constantly shaped by interactions with people, animals, and the environment.
Belief Turns Ideas Into Social Reality
- Humans uniquely form beliefs by combining experiences and imagination into committed perceptions and ideologies.
- These beliefs can transform imagined things into socially real objects or systems, like money.
