Possibly, his areas of research are certainly unconventional, studying the natives of New Guinea or Australian Aboriginals and summarising that they are no less intelligent than ourselves are not the kind of findings that fit neatly with a Western centric educational view.
whereas most get caught up in the spell of social science orthodoxy when it is repeated over and again. Where do you draw the line between cynicism and ignorance?
Nothing special about Mr. Diamond and his circle. Well he's obviously more gifted than you or I, do you think Malcolm Gladwell is just all hype?
If you've bothered at all to do some investigative research, As I've said, I read many books and only suggested this book as another viewpoint to the Rwandan genocide, quite an important point too I think, surely nothing wrong with that?
you'll find that Professor Diamond has far more naysayers and critique thrown his way than praise - Certainly that is highly debatable and quite easily disproven, but tell me any author that does not have critics.
certainly amongst his contemporaries and peers, Darwin?
less the easily hynotised masses. Do you think it's a bad thing that books like Guns, Germs and Steel, The Blind Watchmaker and A Brief History Of Time have made science, philosophy and anthropology accessable for the masses?
Far be it for me to say....But
but Jared Diamond mirrors the orthodoxy that is present throughout Eurocentic bias of Anthropological models. Well I think that is where you need to look at the criticism, which you claim is overwhelming, as most of the neagative criticism comes from established academic circles, perhaps you think because his work is not academic enough in style or perhaps, as I suspect, his books have helped people think outside of the constraints of the established model.
He comes from the same historical background that simply isn't curious. I think his position is clearly diametrically opposite to this.
Nor would he ever explore anything that doesn't promote the ideal of European influence Are you sure we read the same books? The ideal of European influence?

Collapse is divided into four parts. Part One describes the environment of the US state of Montana, focusing on the lives of several individuals in order to put a human face on the interplay between society and the environment. Part Two describes past societies that have collapsed. Diamond uses a "framework" when considering the collapse of a society, consisting of five "sets of factors" that may affect what happens to a society: environmental damage, climatic change, hostile neighbors, loss of trading partners, and the society's own responses to its environmental problems. The societies Diamond describes are: The Greenland Norse (climate change, environmental damage, loss of trading partners, hostile neighbors and most unwillingness to adapt in the face of social collapse) Easter Island (a society that collapsed entirely due to environmental damage) The Polynesians of Pitcairn Island (environmental damage and loss of trading partners) The Anasazi of southwestern North America (environmental damage and climate change) The Maya of Central America (environmental damage, climate change, and hostile neighbours) Finally, Diamond discusses three past success stories: The tiny Pacific island of Tikopia The agricultural success of central New Guinea The Tokugawa-era forest management in Japan. Part Three examines modern societies, including: The collapse into genocide of Rwanda, caused in part by overpopulation The failure of Haiti compared with the relative success of its neighbour on Hispaniola, the Dominican Republic The problems facing a developing nation, China The problems facing a First World nation, Australia

Are you American? I don't mean that in a derogotroy manner BTW but the irony must be clear.
and contribution - which largely, is a myth. A myth? I think you are stretching your credibilty beyond impartialy now.
Before taking on heroes, Did I say hero? I just suggested that he had an interestinjg point of view regarding the subject of the thread.
one must examine all roads.Patronising twat