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ulzeta's review
5.0
Very interesting read. A history of mankind and a glimmer of hope for the future of it.
mshusky's review
informative
slow-paced
2.75
This was a great book, but it has sadly dated in the ?30? or so years since it was first published.
emeraldimp's review
4.0
A very interesting book, but dated by the nearly thirty years since its release.
I was expecting a more biological / anthropological examination of the subject (namely, humans as the third species of chimp), and there is certainly a good deal of that, but there was also quite a lot of examination / justification of humans as (just) another species of animal (a premise which I grew up accepting), and the danger we are putting ourselves in by destruction of our environment. I suppose it is understandable, given that it was released in 1991.
I was expecting a more biological / anthropological examination of the subject (namely, humans as the third species of chimp), and there is certainly a good deal of that, but there was also quite a lot of examination / justification of humans as (just) another species of animal (a premise which I grew up accepting), and the danger we are putting ourselves in by destruction of our environment. I suppose it is understandable, given that it was released in 1991.
rpszeli's review
5.0
Want to understand human sexuality and how evolutionary processes converged to explain the way that we act EVERY day? Yeah, just read this. Mr. Diamond is a wonderful teacher.
lcdthethird's review
5.0
With the power of hindsight you can see just how spot on and genius Jared Diamond is. After reading his later works like Collapse and Guns, Germs and Steel I decided to visit his earlier work and I am not disappointed. The Third Chimpanzee is some dense reading, but I gained so much knowledge and interesting bits of information. It was a slow, but rewarding journey. If you like his later work you will like The Third Chimpanzee.
ben_sutter's review
5.0
An ambitious and well organised scientific-based work, ranging from the robust to the boldly speculative. This is an energetic, insightful romp through the history of humanity. It confronts the weaknesses of our commonly adopted ego-centric and white-centric views of the world and allows us to stand back from ourselves and see ourselves for what we really are - the good, the bad and the ugly.
If the education systems of the world were prepared to confront young minds with ideas as bold and stark as these, a wave of innovation and humanitarianism would be unleashed.
If the education systems of the world were prepared to confront young minds with ideas as bold and stark as these, a wave of innovation and humanitarianism would be unleashed.
jeo224's review
4.0
Lots of great ideas in this book - almost as incredible as Guns, Germs and Steel.