The third speed: Flexible activation and its link to self-regulation

There are not two, but three speeds of transmission or of transformations of sensory inputs into behavioral outputs: first, genome encoding; second, learning; and third, flexible situational activation of mental constructs, especially overarching goals. Gintis and Helbing focus on the first two, and surely these two are important. However, by completely neglecting the third speed, their theory lacks the most important ingredient that would make a microfoundational theory relevant for sociology.