How Did The Neolithic Revolution Affect Humanity

In the article The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race the author Jared Diamond explains how the development of agriculture in humanity affected the evolution of our modern society for the worst. He proved this thesis with sufficient points, however, the scientific evidence behind the Luddites’ beliefs are limited. The corroboration behind agricultural advancements being a substantial step for mankind is far more concrete than the opposing side. Livestock and cultivating vegetation was the most significant switch humanity has taken, and molded our world to what it is today.

In Guns, Germs, and Steel James Diamond analyzed the causes and effects of the Neolithic Revolution. Causes of the Neolithic Revolution included crops and the domestication of animals. The Neolithic Revolution started when people began to plant their own crops. People built villages and then farmed the land around those villages. They farmed crops that were productive, like wheat. It could be easily planted, and just needed water. Once people were settled down they domesticated animals like cows and horses. These animals were mutually beneficial to the crops; the animals ate what was left over from the harvest and then fertilized the ground so that is would be ready for the next planting season. They would then eat what was left over from the

No step forward has ever been perfect; progress always means losing something important. However, for the human race, the benefits of agriculture have vastly outweighed the consequences. We suffer less than any other species on the planet and we have created incredible monuments and rich complex artwork. Our amazing achievements will preserved much longer than the life of our species. And we owe it all to Agriculture.

“The Importance of the Neolithic Revolution” is an article written by William Howells that focuses in on what the Neolithic Revolution was like all over the world. Also the definition of single site theory zeros in on what the Neolithic Revolution was like in one place. These two theories contradict and oppose each other.

10,000 years ago, humans underwent a dramatic shift in lifestyle. For the majority of their existence, humans were hunter-gatherers. As defined by Carol Ember, professor of history at Yale University, hunter-gatherers were nomadic foragers who hunt and gather food rather than farm it (Ember 2). Even today, hunter-gatherer societies still exist. However, the majority of the world has adopted the farming lifestyle. Dubbed the Agricultural Revolution, a shift to farming occurred all over the world, from Mexico to China (The Agricultural Revolution 1). Humans realized that they could farm food and animals rather than hunt and gather for them. However, the question as to how beneficial the Agricultural Revolution was to humanity remains. Some people argue that the Agricultural Revolution offered and illusion of lavish life, but at more cost than benefit. For example, Friedrich Engels, co founder of Marxism, believed agriculture the direct cause for a loss of political innocence (Noble or Savage 2). Others argue that agricultural came as a great success for the survival of the human race, and believe it to be crucially beneficial to the development of humanity. Both arguments have their flaws and strengths, however, evidence suggests that the Agricultural Revolution benefited humanity from the perspective of a larger group, but came as a deficit to humanity from the perspective of the individual human.

The Neolithic period was the start of the new age, 11,00BCE-4000BCE and it brought changes like the production of food surplus, domestication of animals, trade, agriculture and the process of stone tools.

Without a doubt, industrialization was one of the biggest factors in how the United States developed. It gave us the means of mass production, better transportation, and eventually the consumerist society that the United States is today. Industrialization did drastically change American society, but did it change America for the better? Did it do more good than bad? While industrialization did lead to multiple social and economic problems, the advantages significantly outweigh the disadvantages.

Have you ever wondered what Agricultural Revolution was and if it had a positive or negative effect on human civilization? Well, the Agricultural Revolution had a huge effect on civilization. It was when humans discovered how to farm! This took place from about 10,000 B.C to about 3,000 B.C. I believe it had a positive effect on human civilization for a couple of reasons. First, humans were able to develop different technologies. Secondly, humans learned how to control animals breeding and plants growing rate. I believe that the Agricultural Revolution had a positive effect on human civilization.

We hear of stories of how Christopher Columbus accidently discovered America or the New World. Most of our history books indicate the settlers were the ones that helped shaped this new world. We tend to forget how new explorers also impacted America. Christopher Columbus and the rest of Europe coming to America changed the globe by igniting import and export and bridged the Atlantic Ocean between the two worlds.

I have very mixed opinions on the statements of Jared Diamond and the Neolithic revolution. A way that I think it is bad is because it could have possibly caused overpopulation. A reason that I think it is good is because it allowed us to settle down in one place and have less people die from starvation. Another reason it was good was because it created the invention of agriculture.

Think of what people sacrificed for us to have computers, cellphones, microwaves, and electrical power to use on a daily basis. During the Industrial Revolution, which was between the late 18th and 20th centuries, people started to invent new technologies that made products quickly and more efficiently. However, children were being exploited by their bosses, England also was forbidding colonies to develop any domestic industries, and people didn’t live in sanitized areas. I believe that the Industrial Revolution had a negative effect for people living in England in that time period.

A New Way of Life: How The Colombian Exchange Made a Difference in Our Lives

Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States once stated that “cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens” (Jefferson), which was fitting for his era, considering that 90% of the American population were farmers. The tradition of agricultural societies stretches back to the Neolithic Revolution, around 11,000 years ago (Diamond 64), where people started to domesticate plants and animals. During this period, humans started to transition from a hunter-gatherer society, where small groups would rely solely on hunting wild game and gathering wild plants, to a settled society. Hunter-gatherers migrated with the herds of game and the seasons. It was only until the Neolithic Revolution when people started to settle down

Over ten thousand years ago, men in the Stone Age discovered a new way of life. Bamber Gascoigne’s article from www.historyworld.net, “The Neolithic Revolution,” refers that the most significant single development in human history was when mankind discovered easier and better ways to provide for his family. According to many paleohistorians and historians, the most revolutionary event occurred when man went from hunter-gatherers, to farmers and domesticators. This drastic change affected the people politically, geographically, socially, and economically.

According to the section of the textbook titled "The Emergence of Civilization" there are a number of proposed causes to why civilizations developed. One theory, for instance, suggests that material forces such as agriculture allowed for a unified community that demanded a specialization of labor. A second argument contradicts the former, claiming that nonmaterial forces (particularly, religion) influenced the establishment of these complex cultures. Yet other historians believe that certain challenges (possibly environmental) forced humans to develop an organized and civilized society. Overall, however, all theories agree on the fact that civilizations were a response to sustain the needs and beliefs of growing human societies. For example, these establishments allowed for an emphasis on a distinct religious structure, a social division based on affluence, as well as an economy that focused largely on trade with neighboring peoples. Such aspects would not have been present in prior small agricultural settlements, since they are much smaller (in size comparison) and less complex.