Jared Diamond on the Downfall of Civilizations - and His Optimism for Ours | Episode 55

Jared Diamond is the author of popular books like Guns, Germs, and Steel; Collapse; and Upheaval. He’s also a geographer, environmental historian, ornithologist, and evolutionary biologist, though he started his career as an expert on gallbladders. In the course of his life and research, he has learned 13 languages and traveled to New Guinea dozens of times.
In this episode of People I (Mostly) Admire, hosted by Steve Levitt, Diamond discusses his many brushes with death, why the Norse Greenlanders wouldn’t eat fish, how tree rings explain Gengis Khan’s success, and why he has never been invited to a cannibal ceremony.
This episode was originally published December 10, 2021.
For a full transcript, resources, and more, visit: freak.ws/3S1ZPCu
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People I (Mostly) Admire is hosted by Steven Levitt, the unorthodox University of Chicago economist and co-author of the Freakonomics book series, who tracks down other high achievers and asks questions that only he would think to ask. Guests include all-time Jeopardy! champion (and now host) Ken Jennings, KZbin C.E.O. Susan Wojcicki, W.N.B.A. champion Sue Bird, Operation Warp Speed chief Moncef Slaoui, and neuroscientist/actress (also now Jeopardy! host) Mayim Bialik. Winner of Adweek‘s 2021 Best Interview Podcast of the Year.
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[@jackie6786]

What Prof. Diamond told Prof. Levitt about how he writes emails to experts in order to receive their advice is exactly the same line that he gave me many years ago in our email exchange. Diamond must really abide by this rule and is still practicing it and true sign of humility and willingness to learn, both are necessary to answer big questions.

[@jackie6786]

Amazing talk

[@barbaraschumacher3861]

We need Prof. Diamond's "cautious optimism" in these days of climate change.

[@jpjeon3143]

I've only ever read his book, so I never realized that he speaks with such a heavy Bostonian accent! Almost sounds like Bernie Sanders, to my ears at least.