Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal

Must read for everyone. Eye opening!!!

If you have an interest in learning about evolution of the human animal, this should definitely be on your reading list. The Third Chimpanzee is a thought provoking reading requiring the reader to spend time grasping the ideas that it delves in. At the very onset, the author makes the clear case for why is the book called the third chimpanzee. Just in case it isn't clear to you as to who is this third chimpanzee, it is us. I found it rather interesting that Gorillas are a distant relatives of Chimps as compared to us Humans. Having aroused the curiosity of the reader at the very start, Diamond doesn't let you down as he unravels our evolution while thrashing several widely held beliefs, some I definitely held before I read this book.Some topics/myths that receive special attention by the author include the generally taboo topic of sex, the superiority of human race in terms of production / appreciation of Art and our distinctiveness in terms of use of language, as well as the genetic superiority of human lineage that conquered others.The belief in superiority of modern man as compared to our primitive ancestors is handled in the following statement: If we could carry ourselves back forty thousand years in a time machine, I suspect that we would find Cro-Magnons to be equally modern people, capable of learning to fly a jet plane.

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".

It is a book that should be read by everybody who is interested in the homo sapiens, its evolutionary history (not only its uniquely human generated disasters and but also his achievements). Jared Diamond's fascinating reflections comment on our animal origins, our peculiar life cycle and sexual behaviours, the ability of elaborating complex languages and their results; he then carries on to testify our bending towards self-destruction by drug abuse of any kind. According to his research, this last facet of our behaviour seems to reach back into the beginning to our existence. Furthermore, he then sheds light on "The Golden Age That Never Was", our self-delusion to escape from the present conditions and its dangers for humanity and nature altogether. And yet, by a sheer tour de force of precise logic reasoning, he concludes - nevertheless - the possibility of hope for future generations. He is a stunning naturalist, anthropologist and philosopher. After reading his work one might feel : "Come on! Let's tackle the problems!" A wonderful achievement.