---
product_id: 3631826
title: "The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal"
brand: "jared diamondrob shapirorandom house audio"
price: "HK$480"
currency: HKD
in_stock: false
reviews_count: 9
url: https://www.desertcart.hk/products/3631826-the-third-chimpanzee-the-evolution-and-future-of-the-human
store_origin: HK
region: Hong Kong
---

# The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal

**Brand:** jared diamondrob shapirorandom house audio
**Price:** HK$480
**Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal by jared diamondrob shapirorandom house audio
- **How much does it cost?** HK$480 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Currently out of stock
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.hk](https://www.desertcart.hk/products/3631826-the-third-chimpanzee-the-evolution-and-future-of-the-human)

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## Description

The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal

## Images

![The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81zxZQBvDwL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    Gun, Germs, and Steel: The Prequel - Read It !
  

*by P***O on Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2002*

Jared Diamond combines an almost limitless range of interests - including evolutionary biology, physiology, ornithology, geography, ancient history, anthropology, music, art, literature - and an equally prodigious number of gifts - not the least of which is his penetrating logic, extraordinary ideational fluency, pellucid writing style, and, thankfully, a marvelously open sense of humor. This has all come together in a remarkable trilogy of books culminating in the celebrated Guns, Germs, and Steel. Reading Diamond's The Third Chimpanzee, you can clearly see his formidable mind (recognized by the MacArthur Foundation, which in our day and age of credentials and certifications, makes "genius" semi-official) at work, pushing his materials to the point where he needed to write GG&S to scratch a particular itch that arose in the researching and writing of Chimpanzee.We humans, Diamond observes at the outset of TTC, share 98 percent of our genetic material with two species of chimpanzees, making us, to an objective observer, merely a third species of chimp. But, oh, do the remaining two percent account for a load: speech, writing, art, culture, and a particularly human proclivity to destroy each other and the things we love, either via fratricidal, often genocidal, war or the degradation of our own environment. Having placed these observations on the table, Diamond then goes on, in gemlike chapters that stand alone as models in the scientific essay genre, to discuss animal and primate precursors of these particularly human behaviors, taking us through the bounty of human developments and the accompanying tragedies. He ends, however, on a hopeful note. Not only are we, as Nietzsche pointed out, "the ape that blushes," but also, as Diamond reminds us, the ape that chooses its own future.The net result of Diamond's learned exertions is to render us - me - feeling far more connected to "the animal kingdom," to offer compelling food for thought, and to answer the great questions posed in the title of the fabulous Gauguin picture hanging in a Boston gallery: "Where Do We Come From? What Are We? We Are We Going?"  This is all necessary reading, a scholarly comfort book from one of our most brilliant expositors of evolutionary logic. (And, I should add, happily, that this trilogy will soon be a tetralogy: having addressed the rise of civilizations in GG&S, Diamond is now at work on civilizational, or state, collapse. Something exciting to look forward to.)For a much less hopeful variation on the themes of TTC, see Wrangham and Petersen's Demonic Males, which, like Diamond, documents redundantly the many ways in which we are merely a species of chimpanzees, but which focuses on the manifold facets of higher primate violence inherited by - or imprinted into - homo sapiens sapiens. Another necessary 5-star book.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    Great condition
  

*by M***C on Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2024*

This book was purchased for college. Book arrived in great condition and it arrived in time for college.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    A thought-provoking book, but don't be seduced by all of it
  

*by N***D on Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2008*

I took away the following:1. Humans are descended from animals. Diamond shows that the things we think distinguish humans from animals - art, language, lifecyle (long child rearing period, menopause, long lives) - have strong roots in our biological history. There is a TON of fascinating detail covering a wide range of topics, and is essentially an articulate reinforcement of the latest science showing the truth behind Darwin's theories.2. Language is the key to rise of humanity. It's obvious, though, that humans are somehow unique, and the book postulates that language is the key. If humans are 98% the same genetically as chimpanzees, what small thing could make the huge evolutionary difference? The voice box and ability to form languages allow humans to cooperate, form more complex social organizations, and advance knowledge from one generation to the next. Language is the foundation of innovation, which has been essential to our rise. As someone who enjoys languages and can speak a few, I really liked this idea.3. All humans are equal. Differences among humans in Africa, Europe, Middle East, Asia, the Artic, and so on are not based on genetic selection but rather sexual selection. I've read Stanford research that tracks maternal genes through the millenia and shows that humans spread from Africa to all corners of the world. Diamond postulates that the reason people look different is perhaps due to genetic adaptations to local environments (fairer skin in colder climates, etc), but more likely due to random changes reinforced by our predilection for choosing mates who look most like our own families. My favorite detail: people are more likely to choose mates with similar index finger length (0.6 correlation coefficient) than economic background (only 0.2).4. Random distribution of geographic resources makes some cultures and societies more successful. From #3, Diamond goes on to say that the reason European culture has come to be pre-eminent in today's world is not because of genetic superiority. Rather, it is simply due to the fact that Europe (and its culture progenitors Greece and Rome) happened to be lucky enough to have the best natural resources. If you've played Risk, Civilization or World of Warcraft, this is pretty obvious. You want to found your cities or capture the areas where there are the most resources that allow you to build the biggest and most advanced armies (Diamond expanded this theory in his more famous book Germs, Guns and Steel, which I haven't read yet). But, I don't know. Though this theory is interesting and powerful, it sparked the biggest reaction in me. I found it somehow...Marxist, stating that all human history can be reduced to economic drivers. While I know resource advantages are helpful to some degree, my humanist side rejects this as the primary driver of history. Where is the role of the individual, of the struggle to grow and learn? Could it really be that Western culture produced Plato, Newton and Churchill simply because it happened to have plentiful deer, while other places didn't? Do I go to work everyday, invest time into my children and bust my tail without a single ounce of impact on the fate of my culture? Of course not, so though Diamond postulates this as a strong theory it gives only a partial explanation of history.5. The end is near: beware of nuclear weapons and environmental catastrophy. In this area Diamond seemed to leave the field of science and enter that of personal political view. Most of the book felt deeply analytical and data driven, the last sections felt light on science in comparison. That said, I don't disagree with the point. It's just hard to accept when his argument for protecting endangered species is "you never know which one matters."Overall, an enjoyable and thought-provoking read.

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*Product available on Desertcart Hong Kong*
*Store origin: HK*
*Last updated: 2026-01-23*