Podcasts · Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas
367 | Jared Diamond on the Course of History and the Role of leaders
· 1 h 17 min · Episode 367
Episode 367 | Jared Diamond on the Course of History and the Role of leaders
The course of history is affected by many things, including the political and social situations of large groups of people, their biological and physical abilities, and their geographical and environmental contexts. Sometimes, it would seem, history -- or corporations, or religions, or sports teams -- can be affected by the actions of just a few influential persons. In his new book, Profits, Prophets, Coaches, and Kings, Jared Diamond asks what effect leaders can have, and what it is that makes them successful (or not).
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Blog post with transcript: https://preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2026/09/07/367-jared-diamond-on-the-course-of-history-and-the-role-of-leaders/
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Jared Diamond received a Ph.D. in physiology from the University of Cambridge. He is currently a professor of geography at the University of California, Los Angeles. Among his awards are the U.S. National Medal of Science, the MacArthur Fellowship, and the Pulitzer Prize. His international bestseller Guns, Germs, and Steel has sold over seven million copies.
• Web site • UCLA web page • Amazon author page • Wikipedia
Links in the notes 9
- https://www.harpercollins.com/products/profits-prophets-coaches-and-kings-jared-diamond?variant=46032975495202
- https://babbel.com/MINDSCAPE
- https://incogni.com/MINDSCAPE
- https://farmkind.giving/MINDSCAPE
- https://preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2026/09/07/367-jared-diamond-on-the-course-of-history-and-the-role-of-leaders/
- https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll
- https://geog.ucla.edu/person/jared-diamond/
- https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jared-Diamond/author/B000AQ01ZS
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_Diamond
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