factual

Human Before Puberty, Human After Menopause

We are most distinctively human up until puberty and after menopause; in between we behave like glorified primates focused on dominance hierarchies, mating, and acquiring resources, while the genuinely human activities like theory of mind, discovery, causal inference, cultural transmission, and large-scale storytelling are concentrated in childhood and elderhood.

factualpending

Speaker

Alison Gopnik

Evidence Quote

we're basically human up till puberty and after menopause, and in between we're sort of glorified primates

Source

308 | Alison Gopnik on Children, AI, and Modes of ThinkingSean Carroll's Mindscape
Created: 6/13/2026, 12:24:35 AM

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