More than 98 percent of human genes are shared with two species of chimpanzee. The 'third' chimpanzee is man. Jared Diamond surveys out life-cycle, culture, sexuality and destructive urges both towards ourselves and the planet to explore the ways in which we are uniquely human yet still influenced by our animal origins. (2002-02-20)
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"Eloquent and knowledgeable account of the tiny genetic difference between humans and chimps" (Independent)
"Some biologists are just scientists; but some truly are thinkers. Jared Diamond is one of the latter. Whatever he applies himself to, his contribution is original and worthwhile" (Colin Tudge)
"A fascinating portrait with more than enough uncomfortable facts to stop any dinner-party conversation in its tracks - an important book" (Financial Times)
"Confirms Diamond as an impressive scholar and popularizer-an enjoyable, stimulating and audacious book" (Nature)
"Some biologists are just scientists; but some truly are thinkers. Jared Diamond is one of the latter. Whatever he applies himself to, his contribution is original and worthwhile" (Colin Tudge)
"A fascinating portrait with more than enough uncomfortable facts to stop any dinner-party conversation in its tracks - an important book" (Financial Times)
"Confirms Diamond as an impressive scholar and popularizer-an enjoyable, stimulating and audacious book" (Nature)
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How our animal heritage affects the way we live (2002-02-20)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
37 of 40 people found the following review helpful
By Petr Habala
Format:Paperback
All my life I have been curious about the world around me and what makes it tick. Evolution being one of the most important aspects of our learning about the nature, I've read a bit on the topic over the years. Now I am not a biologist, but I am a scientist and I can definitely tell when somebody is pulling things out of thin air just because they need to support a preconcieved picture. Most of the books I've read on the subject have been full of this (most notably Wright's The Moral Animal, whose author clearly lacks elementary scientific etics).
It is therefore with great pleasure that I can recommend Mr. Diamond's book as the first social evolution book that stood up to my requirements on intellectual honesty. Indeed, many of the claims from earlier books by social evolutionists, that I found rather wild and unsubstantiated, do not appear here and some are even refuted by Mr. Diamond as errors. As he did with his Guns, Germs and Steel, he pulls together strands from many branches of science to create a rich picture of human past, a picture which is reasonably well documented given how little we really do know and which fits together well. I found this book also better written and better ballanced than the Guns,..., which suffered from excessive political correctness that sometimes clouded the author's judgement. Here he almost avoided political correctness-related spins, and on the few occassions he did he made it clear that he does not take it too seriously, which just ties in with the overall honesty and precision of his exposition.
I enjoyed reading the book very much. It is very well written, often you even do not realize that you are learning new things and there are some genuinely funny places, too. I would recommend it as the first book to look at if you are interested in evolution of the human race.
It is therefore with great pleasure that I can recommend Mr. Diamond's book as the first social evolution book that stood up to my requirements on intellectual honesty. Indeed, many of the claims from earlier books by social evolutionists, that I found rather wild and unsubstantiated, do not appear here and some are even refuted by Mr. Diamond as errors. As he did with his Guns, Germs and Steel, he pulls together strands from many branches of science to create a rich picture of human past, a picture which is reasonably well documented given how little we really do know and which fits together well. I found this book also better written and better ballanced than the Guns,..., which suffered from excessive political correctness that sometimes clouded the author's judgement. Here he almost avoided political correctness-related spins, and on the few occassions he did he made it clear that he does not take it too seriously, which just ties in with the overall honesty and precision of his exposition.
I enjoyed reading the book very much. It is very well written, often you even do not realize that you are learning new things and there are some genuinely funny places, too. I would recommend it as the first book to look at if you are interested in evolution of the human race.
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A book to recommend everyone who would like to know their place in the animal kingdom. There is only 2% difference between the chimpanzee, man's closest relative and us. Jared Diamond tries and largely succeeds in explaining this difference using science and philosophy and just plain logic.
Please read this book, it will help explain a lot about Man, his sexuality, his destructive properties, his creativity and the reasons why he has reached this point in evolution. He discusses adultery, the origin of art, the importance of language, addiction, genocide, the start of agriculture, the great leap forward when Man started to make a significant impact on planet earth and many other useful side topics. He gives us another definition of history. He makes us stand back from our everyday existence and see ourselves as perhaps we really are.
If you have an open mind and want to read a different viewpoint, read this book !
30 of 34 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I would rate this book, along with Dawkins' The Blind Watchmaker, as one of the most important and powerful books I've ever read. Furthermore, these two books complement each other beautifully. Diamond seems to pitch perfectly to all audiences, (I studied a biological degree, and the book has passed among many of my non-scientist friends who all claimed to have recommended it to others,) and ranges widely, (through biology, evolution & ecology, paleontology, history, sociology, and linguistics.) The whole is an unfeasibly lucid and educative rationale as to how mankind arrived to be where he was in 1991, and where he was likely to be headed. As with Dawkins, the going is rarely heavy and every page brings a satisfying feeling of having learnt something new. Sometimes uncomfortable, often funny, rarely overbearing. PLEASE read this book. Then read it to others, and recommend as widely as possible!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
necessary reading if we are to truly understand out place in time and...
Diamond is essential reading for anyone who cares to spend time contemplating mortality and the vast ( but short in term's archaeological time) journey of out species' rise to... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Dunse Man
5.0 out of 5 stars
a must read book
I usually read books on war/history, but on ocassion search out something different and it has to be good for me to stick with it. Read more
Published 10 months ago by pat
4.0 out of 5 stars
A journey in the history of mankind
A very clever aperçu of the history of the struggle to develop a thinking brain, all of the earth as its stage and the most modern instruments applied to the sciences of enquiry... Read more
Published on 16 Jan 2011 by Rosella
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bleak but brilliant
The kind of book that changes your world view. A deeply pessimistic book that portrays humans as genocidal destroyers of their environment. Read more
Published on 12 Feb 2010 by Polyidiocies
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Read
Have now read two of his books, they are first class, very interesting and written in an easy to read style. Read more
Published on 25 Sep 2009 by Gadget Fan
3.0 out of 5 stars
Somewhat confused
First the good points. Jared Diamond writes excellently and makes some very good arguments, his humanity and morality is evident throughout the book. Read more
Published on 16 Oct 2004 by A. Parsons
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent and highly readable book
Great book. Each chapter examines a different question relating to humanity e.g. Why did Neanderthal man die out?, How / where did language come from etc. Read more
Published on 26 Oct 1998
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