Jared Diamond

Description: (American Historian, Geographer, Author, and Ornithologist)

Jared Mason Diamond is an American scientist and author reputed for his highly acclaimed and popular science books. He has penned down eight books and a number of academic monographs. The fields he covers are varied from ecology to evolutionary biology and from geography to anthropology. Some of his notable books are ‘The Rise and Fall of the Third Chimpanzee’, ‘Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed’, ‘Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies’ and ‘The World until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies?’. His book ‘Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies’, translated in thirty-three different languages, garnered sales of millions of copies across the globe. While the book shot him to global fame it also fetched him the prestigious ‘Pulitzer Prize’ in 1998 apart from other prizes. He travelled to Africa, Australia, Asia, North America and South America for his field projects that include twenty-two expeditions to the New Guinea and its neighbouring islands. He made path-breaking studies of the birds of Papua New Guinea. He received the MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Grant in 1985. Diamond received several awards including the ‘Zoological Society of San Diego Conservation Medal’ (1993), ‘International Cosmos Prize’ (1998) and ‘National Medal of Science’ (1999). He was ranked 9th among top 100 public intellectuals in the polls conducted by two magazines namely ‘Foreign Policy’ and ‘Prospect’ in 2005. At present he is serving at the ‘University of California’, Los Angeles (UCLA) as a Professor of Geography.

Overview

Birthday September 10, 1937 (Virgo)
Born In United States
Alternative names Jared Mason Diamond
City Boston
Spouse/Ex- Marie Cohen
Parents Louis Diamond
Flora Kaplan

Did you know

What is Jared Diamond most known for? Jared Diamond is most known for his work as a popular science author, particularly for his books "Guns, Germs, and Steel" and "Collapse."
What are some criticisms of Jared Diamond's work? Some criticisms of Jared Diamond's work include accusations of oversimplification, cherry-picking data, and presenting a Eurocentric view of history.
How did Jared Diamond become interested in the study of human societies? Jared Diamond became interested in the study of human societies during his fieldwork as an ornithologist in New Guinea, where he observed traditional societies and their interactions with the environment.
What is the central thesis of Jared Diamond's book "Guns, Germs, and Steel?" The central thesis of "Guns, Germs, and Steel" is that geographic and environmental factors, rather than inherent intellectual or moral superiority, shaped the course of human history and the development of civilizations.
How has Jared Diamond's work influenced the fields of history and anthropology? Jared Diamond's work has influenced the fields of history and anthropology by challenging traditional narratives of societal development and emphasizing the role of geography, environment, and technology in shaping human societies.
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