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Show notes
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, [">https://www.harpercollins.com/products/profits-prophets-coaches-and-kings-jared-diamond?variant=46032975495202">]( https://babbel.com/MINDSCAPE">https://babbel.com/MINDSCAPE. #ad Preserve your online privacy at Incogni and get 60% off an annual plan at [https://incogni.com/MINDSCAPE]( https://incogni.com/MINDSCAPE">https://incogni.com/MINDSCAPE. #ad Monthly pledges to FarmKind to help fight factory farming will be boosted by 50% at [https://farmkind.giving/MINDSCAPE]( https://farmkind.giving/MINDSCAPE">https://farmkind.giving/MINDSCAPE. #ad Blog post with transcript: [">https://preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2026/09/07/367-jared-diamond-on-the-course-of-history-and-the-role-of-leaders/">]( ) _Support Mindscape on [https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll"]( Patreon._ 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">http://jareddiamond.org/Jared\_Diamond/Welcome.html">Web]( https://geog.ucla.edu/person/jared-diamond/">UCLA]( https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jared-Diamond/author/B000AQ01ZS">Amazon]( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared\_Diamond">Wikipedia