The Third Chimpanzee

Jared Diamond, a physiologist, explores the animal origins of human behavior, noting how small the genetic gap between humans and chimpanzees is. He asks how our species came to rule over its nearest relatives and why Eurasians came to dominate peoples such as the indigenous Americans. Rejecting claims of superior genetic stock, he argues that local environmental advantages gave some groups larger populations, wider immunity to disease and better farming and military technology. Other parts examine sexual selection, costly signals behind art and drug use, and the genocide that so often follows contact between unequal civilizations. The five-part book ends by warning that technological progress may degrade the environment badly enough to cause extinction.

Charlie Munger included it in the recommended reading list in Poor Charlie's Almanack.