Jared Diamond is sort of a rock star in the sphere of biogeography (and science in general depending on your perspective). He is more a doom-sayer than a soothe-sayer, a prophet warning of the destruction of society and mankind as a whole. His magnum opus and prophetic text "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" has received accolades from a variety of sources, the least of which was the Pulitzer Prize in 1998. Having read that book myself, I came into his lesser-known essay "The Third Chimpanzee" with the expectation that it would be entertaining and enlightening at the same time. Gladly, I was not disappointed, but a glaring issue exists that I will address later.
The first book published by Jared Diamond, "The Third Chimpanzee" explores the progression of human evolution in four parts. In the first, he explores the biological premises of our relationship to two other primate species, the common and pygmy chimpanzees (now called bonobos). This is followed by his exploration of sexual selection as practiced by human beings and how it is mirrored in primates and other animal species, highlighting the relative uniquities of parent-child relationships among Homo sapiens and cross-cultural similarities and differences in parenthood and child-rearing. Part three's premise is to highlight that our language, the use of art, and technology all circle back to sexual selection (picking mates). Part 4 imparts on the book with a grim look at how humans have adopted conquest in addition to genocide and murder as a theme of expansion, and also brings to bear interesting yet frightening examples of the same in the animal kingdom. He finally concludes the 19-chapter-long book with a look at how desertification and environmental change ring the alarm bells of extinction. The last two parts of the book are further expanded on in future works: part 4 is a prelude to "Guns, Germs, and Steel", while part 5 an introduction to his 2005 best-seller "Collapse" (which I also read but found rather difficult to follow compared to the former).
Now, what do I think of "The Third Chimpanzee"? Honestly, I liked the book. Jared Diamond, as obscure his source material may be, does his utmost to bring to personal relevance these issues by offering examples both from his personal travels and his studies. The language of the book is witty and he injects humor at appropriate times (so appropriate that it evokes a collective "Ha!" in the psyche of those who find his material all too familiar). He covers a large scope of material without going too deep into the subject matter at the time, which may be seen as a shortcoming to some, but evidently more than makes up for it in later works mentioned above. In terms of style, he appears to follow a logical progression, but the transition between part 3 and part 4 - two starkly contrasting topics - was as smooth as a pot-hole-ridden road in Edmonton's spring after a long and harsh winter. Emphasis on competition and selection would have helped in the larger scheme of things.
Regardless of my nitpicking, the book is a must-read for those who are interested in humanity's future and survival. It must be taken into account that we humans are unique among the species in that we recognize the trajectory of our evolution and can, through our advanced physiology and psychology, guide it for the better. And then I remember that the same species that currently dominate the planet also gave us Donald Trump.
Writing Style - 4.5/5
Content - 5/5
Overall - 4.5/5
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