Jared Diamond is een auteur die zich verdiept in de onderlinge verbondenheid van geschiedenis, biologie en de geografie van menselijke samenlevingen. Zijn werk onderzoekt de diepe krachten die de menselijke beschaving door de millennia heen hebben gevormd. Diamond benadert de analyse van complexe maatschappelijke verschijnselen met wetenschappelijke nauwkeurigheid, terwijl hij een toegankelijke en boeiende vertelstijl behoudt. Zijn doel is om lezers nieuwe perspectieven te bieden op hoe onze wereld is geworden zoals ze nu is.
Mensen zijn voor 98% genetisch gelijk aan de gewone aap en de dwergchimpansee. Hoe is het dan te verklaren dat wij in staat zijn beschavingen, talen, godsdiensten en wetenschappen te ontwikkelen maar ook om dat in een oogwenk weer te vernietigen? Diamond schreef een baanbrekend, onderhoudend en soms schokkend boek over dat unieke schepsel en zijn evolutie: de derde chimpansee die mens heet.
The author's experience in New Guinea highlights the unique beauty and biodiversity of the region, yet it also reveals a personal longing for connection with primates, which are absent in the area. Attending a primate conservation conference, the author feels like an outsider, reflecting on the public's fluctuating interest in primates compared to other animals. This juxtaposition emphasizes the emotional and professional challenges faced by conservationists working in regions devoid of charismatic fauna, while also recognizing the broader appeal and importance of primate conservation efforts.
The Third Chimpanzee was first published in 1991 and has been in print ever since. This new, illustrated edition is aimed at a young readership. In it, Jared Diamond explores what makes us human and poses fascinating questions including: * If we share more than 98% of our DNA with chimpanzees, how is it that we can write, read, talk, build telescopes and bombs, while we put our speechless and bomb-less close relatives in cages and zoos? * What can woodpeckers teach us about spacecraft? * Is genocide a human invention? * Why does extinction matter? * Why are we destroying the natural resources on which we depend for survival? * What hope is there for future generations? The Third Chimpanzee for Young Readers is not only a mind-boggling survey of how we came to be who we are, but a plea to the next generation to make better decisions than their parents and get us out of the mess we're in
Why did Eurasians conquer, displace, or decimate Native Americans, Australians, and Africans, instead of the reverse? In this groundbreaking book, evolutionary biologist Jared Diamond stunningly dismantles racially based theories of human history by revealing the environmental factors actually responsible for history's broadest patterns. Here, at last, is a world history that really is a history of all the world's peoples, a unified narrative of human life even more intriguing and important than accounts of dinosaurs and glaciers. A major advance in our understanding of human societies, Guns, Germs, and Steel chronicles the way that the modern world, and its inequalities, came to be. It is a work rich in dramatic revelations that will fascinate readers even as it challenges conventional wisdom
Focusing on the evolution of baseball strategy, this book explores the revolutionary techniques and philosophies that have transformed the game. Highlighting key players and their innovative approaches, it draws parallels to the influential "Moneyball" narrative. Through engaging storytelling, it captures the excitement of modern baseball, showcasing how analytics and creativity are reshaping the sport. The insights into the minds of players and coaches make this a compelling read for fans and analysts alike.
Exploring the evolution of human behavior, the book delves into how unique traits have enabled the creation of language, art, and technology, while also leading to destructive inventions like nuclear weapons. It examines the origins of these characteristics and questions whether they are fixed aspects of humanity or if change is possible. As humanity faces critical challenges such as climate change and nuclear threats, the narrative invites readers to consider the potential for a hopeful future through transformation.
In twenty short books, Penguin brings you the classics of the environmental movement. This is Jared Diamond's haunting account of visiting the mysterious stone statues of Easter Island, showing how a remote civilization destroyed itself by exploiting its own natural resources—and why we must heed this warning. Over the past 75 years, a new canon has emerged. As life on Earth has become irrevocably altered by humans, visionary thinkers around the world have raised their voices to defend the planet, and affirm our place at the heart of its restoration. Their words have endured through the decades, becoming the classics of a movement. Together, these books show the richness of environmental thought, and point the way to a fairer, saner, greener world.
This title has been removed from sale by Penguin Group, USA.
In his landmark international bestsellers Guns, Germs and Steel and Collapse, Jared Diamond transformed our understanding of what makes civilizations rise and fall. Now in the third book in this monumental trilogy, he reveals how successful nations recover from crisis. Diamond shows us how seven countries have survived defining upheavals in the recent past - from the forced opening up of Japan and the Soviet invasion of Finland to the Pinochet regime in Chile - through selective change, a process of painful self-appraisal and adaptation more commonly associated with personal trauma. Looking ahead to the future, he investigates whether the United States, and the world, are squandering their natural advantages and are on a devastating path towards catastrophe. Is this fate inevitable? Or can we still learn from the lessons of the past? Exhibiting the awe-inspiring grasp of history, geography, economics and anthropology that marks all Diamond's work, Upheaval reveals how both nations and individuals can become more resilient. The result is a book epic in scope, but also his most personal yet.
