The Pulitzer Prize winning polymath and author of Guns, Germs and Steel joins us to explore his life and pioneering work illuminating the majestic complexity of human civilisation.
He is the global superstar whose work has transformed our understanding of why civilisations rise and fall; an intellectual hero able to see connections between fields as diverse as history, biology and ecology and make them tangible to millions of readers across the globe. His theories answer the biggest questions of human life and experience, inspiring books as diverse as Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens and David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas.
In Guns, Germs and Steel, he explored why has human history unfolded so differently across the globe. How did geography – not race – shape the destines of Europeans, Asians, Native Americans, sub-Saharan Africans, and aboriginal Australians?
In Collapse, he investigated why societies self-destruct, and how we can learn to be survivors.
And in Upheaval, he asked: why do some nations recover from crisis, while others collapse? What can individuals and nations do to become more resilient?
Now Jared Diamond joins the How To Academy to reflect on these questions – and consider where we go from here. Looking ahead, he will investigate if the United States, and the world, are squandering their natural advantages and are on a devastating path towards catastrophe. Is this fate inevitable? Or can we still learn from the lessons of the past?
Don’t miss this opportunity to hear one of the true intellectual icons of our age.
Praise for Jared Diamond:
‘Fascinating… I’m a big fan of everything Jared has written, and his latest is no exception. … I finished the book even more optimistic about our ability to solve problems than I started.’ – Bill Gates, Summer Reading Recommendations 2019
‘Upheaval is bold, wide-ranging and original … probes large and important questions. Unlike most social scientists, Diamond can write invigorating prose that carries the reader along with its sweep … It deserves to be widely read and pondered.’ – Vernon Bogdanor, Sunday Telegraph
‘A riveting and illuminating tour of how nations deal with crises-which might hopefully help humanity as a whole deal with our present global crisis.’ – Yuval Noah Harari, author of Sapiens and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century
‘Jared Diamond is an undisputed global star of comparative history… Britain could learn from this book about how other nations have dealt with turmoil… He finds intellectually stimulating and unusual examples that provide much food for thought.’ – Andrew Marr, Times
This talk takes place at 6:45pm British Summer Time.
About Our Digital Programme:
In response to the global pandemic, How To Academy is curating a not-for-profit programme of live-streamed talks and conversations bringing you advice, insight and entertainment. Tickets are offered on a Pay What You Can basis, including a Free option for those who cannot afford more at this difficult time. Thank you for your help sustaining How To Academy through the crisis — and for enabling us to share new thinking from across the globe at a time when it has never been more important.
Books will be shipped within two weeks of the event (hopefully sooner). Please note that due to the challenges of distribution during the global pandemic, some books may be delayed. If we experience any delay in getting your copy to you, we will contact you by email to let you know. Thank you for supporting a local London business, Primrose Hill Books.
