The Third Chimpanzee

Infobox Book
name = The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal
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author = Jared Diamond
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language = English
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subject = Human evolution, anthropology
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publisher = Hutchinson Radius
release_date = 1991
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pages = 364
isbn = ISBN 978-0091-74268-3
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"The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal" (ISBN 978-0060-98403-8), originally published in English in 1991 as "The Rise and Fall of the Third Chimpanzee: How Our Animal Heritage Affects the Way We Live" (ISBN 978-0091-74268-3), is the first book-length work of non-fiction from Jared Diamond, evolutionary biologist, physiologist and Pulitzer Award-winning author. Diamond addresses two issues: how and why human beings transformed in a short period from "just another species of big mammal" into a world-dominating force; and the degree to which our immense progress has been coupled with the seeds of self-destruction, particularly through genocide and environmental degradation.

The title of the book refers to humans as being one of three types of chimpanzee. The other two types are the common chimpanzee and the bonobo. Diamond refers humans as the third chimpanzee because chimpanzees are the closest living relatives to humans, genetically and taxonomically. Furthermore, chimpanzees are more closely related to humans than to other great apes such as the gorilla. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CEFDE1E3AF936A25750C0A964958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all "Separating the men from the apes" New York Times review of 'The Third Chimpanzee] by Frans de Waal]

Borrowing insight from a multitude of different fields, including history, evolutionary theory and genetics, biology and ecology, linguistics and sociology, "The Third Chimpanzee" compiles a portrait of humanity's success and also its potential for disaster.

Broadly, the work foregrounds patterns of environmental determinism for which Diamond is a well-known proponent (and has occasionally been criticized)Fact|date=March 2007 but this attitude is not absolute. In discussing mass extinction events, for example, Diamond decisively favours human agency ahead of competing climatic and environmental theories.

A second edition was published in 2004 as "The Rise and Fall of the Third Chimpanzee: Evolution and Human Life", and a later edition in 2006 entitled "The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal".

Reception

A "New York Times" book review said, "The book's provocative style forces one to reflect thoroughly on the puzzle of human evolution....Written with great wit and a pleasure to read." Edward O. Wilson of Harvard University said, "The Third Chimpanzee" will endure." Paul R. Ehrlich author of "The Population Bomb" said, "Brilliant book. It helps us understand what it means to be human."Fact|date=February 2008

Awards

"The Third Chimpanzee" was the recipient of the Royal Society Prize for Science Books [http://royalsociety.org/bookspage.asp?id=6372 Royal Society Prizes for Science Books] , previous winners and shortlists] and the "Los Angeles Times" Book Prize in 1992. [http://www.latimes.com/extras/bookprizes/winners_byaward.html#science Los Angeles Times Festival of Books] , Science and Technology previous winners]

Further reading

*cite book | last = Diamond | first = Jared | title = The Third Chimpanzee: the Evolution and Future of the Human Animal | publisher = Harper Perennial | location = New York | year = 2006 | isbn = 0-06-084550-3

References