The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal

Jared Diamond combines an almost limitless range of interests - including evolutionary biology, physiology, ornithology, geography, ancient history, anthropology, music, art, literature - and an equally prodigious number of gifts - not the least of which is his penetrating logic, extraordinary ideational fluency, pellucid writing style, and, thankfully, a marvelously open sense of humor. This has all come together in a remarkable trilogy of books culminating in the celebrated Guns, Germs, and Steel. Reading Diamond's The Third Chimpanzee, you can clearly see his formidable mind (recognized by the MacArthur Foundation, which in our day and age of credentials and certifications, makes "genius" semi-official) at work, pushing his materials to the point where he needed to write GG&S to scratch a particular itch that arose in the researching and writing of Chimpanzee.We humans, Diamond observes at the outset of TTC, share 98 percent of our genetic material with two species of chimpanzees, making us, to an objective observer, merely a third species of chimp. But, oh, do the remaining two percent account for a load: speech, writing, art, culture, and a particularly human proclivity to destroy each other and the things we love, either via fratricidal, often genocidal, war or the degradation of our own environment. Having placed these observations on the table, Diamond then goes on, in gemlike chapters that stand alone as models in the scientific essay genre, to discuss animal and primate precursors of these particularly human behaviors, taking us through the bounty of human developments and the accompanying tragedies. He ends, however, on a hopeful note. Not only are we, as Nietzsche pointed out, "the ape that blushes," but also, as Diamond reminds us, the ape that chooses its own future.The net result of Diamond's learned exertions is to render us - me - feeling far more connected to "the animal kingdom," to offer compelling food for thought, and to answer the great questions posed in the title of the fabulous Gauguin picture hanging in a Boston gallery: "Where Do We Come From? What Are We? We Are We Going?" This is all necessary reading, a scholarly comfort book from one of our most brilliant expositors of evolutionary logic. (And, I should add, happily, that this trilogy will soon be a tetralogy: having addressed the rise of civilizations in GG&S, Diamond is now at work on civilizational, or state, collapse. Something exciting to look forward to.)For a much less hopeful variation on the themes of TTC, see Wrangham and Petersen's Demonic Males, which, like Diamond, documents redundantly the many ways in which we are merely a species of chimpanzees, but which focuses on the manifold facets of higher primate violence inherited by - or imprinted into - homo sapiens sapiens. Another necessary 5-star book.

This book was purchased for college. Book arrived in great condition and it arrived in time for college.

I took away the following:1. Humans are descended from animals. Diamond shows that the things we think distinguish humans from animals - art, language, lifecyle (long child rearing period, menopause, long lives) - have strong roots in our biological history. There is a TON of fascinating detail covering a wide range of topics, and is essentially an articulate reinforcement of the latest science showing the truth behind Darwin's theories.2. Language is the key to rise of humanity. It's obvious, though, that humans are somehow unique, and the book postulates that language is the key. If humans are 98% the same genetically as chimpanzees, what small thing could make the huge evolutionary difference? The voice box and ability to form languages allow humans to cooperate, form more complex social organizations, and advance knowledge from one generation to the next. Language is the foundation of innovation, which has been essential to our rise. As someone who enjoys languages and can speak a few, I really liked this idea.3. All humans are equal. Differences among humans in Africa, Europe, Middle East, Asia, the Artic, and so on are not based on genetic selection but rather sexual selection. I've read Stanford research that tracks maternal genes through the millenia and shows that humans spread from Africa to all corners of the world. Diamond postulates that the reason people look different is perhaps due to genetic adaptations to local environments (fairer skin in colder climates, etc), but more likely due to random changes reinforced by our predilection for choosing mates who look most like our own families. My favorite detail: people are more likely to choose mates with similar index finger length (0.6 correlation coefficient) than economic background (only 0.2).4. Random distribution of geographic resources makes some cultures and societies more successful. From #3, Diamond goes on to say that the reason European culture has come to be pre-eminent in today's world is not because of genetic superiority. Rather, it is simply due to the fact that Europe (and its culture progenitors Greece and Rome) happened to be lucky enough to have the best natural resources. If you've played Risk, Civilization or World of Warcraft, this is pretty obvious. You want to found your cities or capture the areas where there are the most resources that allow you to build the biggest and most advanced armies (Diamond expanded this theory in his more famous book Germs, Guns and Steel, which I haven't read yet). But, I don't know. Though this theory is interesting and powerful, it sparked the biggest reaction in me. I found it somehow...Marxist, stating that all human history can be reduced to economic drivers. While I know resource advantages are helpful to some degree, my humanist side rejects this as the primary driver of history. Where is the role of the individual, of the struggle to grow and learn? Could it really be that Western culture produced Plato, Newton and Churchill simply because it happened to have plentiful deer, while other places didn't? Do I go to work everyday, invest time into my children and bust my tail without a single ounce of impact on the fate of my culture? Of course not, so though Diamond postulates this as a strong theory it gives only a partial explanation of history.5. The end is near: beware of nuclear weapons and environmental catastrophy. In this area Diamond seemed to leave the field of science and enter that of personal political view. Most of the book felt deeply analytical and data driven, the last sections felt light on science in comparison. That said, I don't disagree with the point. It's just hard to accept when his argument for protecting endangered species is "you never know which one matters."Overall, an enjoyable and thought-provoking read.

Biologist Jared Diamond's book, originally published in 1992, doesn't have a unifying theme as in his later "Guns, Germs and Steel". Rather, we have different themes tackled in different chapters. Among those themes are the origins of the Indoeuropeans (the mysterious people, also knowns as the Aryans, from whom most Europeans and Indians descend), why Europeans were able to conquer much of the world in the last century (a subject he would later return to in Guns...), why he believes the attempts to overcome aging will fail, his skepticism about the possibility of contacting extraterrestrial civilizations (even if we are able to contact the few aliens that might exist, they might try to conquer us, he claims), the last first contacts between modern civilizations and bands of hunter gatherers still living on the Stone Age, an explanation of sexual selection and the origins of the human races, why the handicap principle bring forward by biologist Amotz Zahavi explain many seeming self-destructive behavior by human beings, an interesting overview of genocide in human history, and so forth. Diamond's environmentalism is quite radical: he believes for example, as some luddites do, that man's fall started when he switched from hunting and gathering to agriculture. Still, this is a wonderful book, enlivened by Diamond's erudition and wonderful writing.

Mi hija me recomendó este libro para un ensayo que voy a escribir y es exactamente lo que andaba buscando, un enfoque diferente ya que abarca varias disciplinas

..... que no ha perdido relevancia desde su primera publicación en el 1992.Juntamente con Richard Dawkins y Steven Pinker, Jared Diamond es de los autores que cualquier persona interesada en aprender y entender por qué nuestro mundo es como es debería leer durante su vida.

Este livro é mais um excelente livro sobre a Historia da Humanidade sobre o ponto de vista evolutivo. O livro traz uma excelente expliacacao da evolucao dos primeiros hominideos aos massacres mais recentes causados pelo mesmo Homo sapiens sapies. Nao deixar de ler, do mesmo autor, Armas, Germes e Aço (Guns, Germs and Steel) e Colapso (Collapse). Foi ele que decerto inspirou os livros de Yuval Noach Harari - Homo Deus e Sapiens - que sao sucesso de venda no mundo. Vale muito apena ler nao só este livro mas os outros do autor.

After finishing reading this book, I feel rich, I gained tremendously more knowledge, it brightens my mind up... well documented, funny, easy to read, lots of humour, stimulating intellectual curiosity...makes me reflect about the past and the future of humankind...should be essential reading!Touches on so many topics and concepts, such as pseudo-science and genetic racism, curses of civilization (see religious intolerance), biological holocaust and ecological suicide, origin of languages, cultural barriers and "geographic fidelity", etcWhile reading, I needed a pencil to take notes...Prof. Diamond wears numerous hats, is an anthropologist, historian, lingvist, evolutionary biologist, philosopher, and brilliant writer., all at the same time. He represents what makes us "'Uniquely human".

Must read for everyone. Eye opening!!!