Summary Of Guns, Germs And Steel

Professor Diamond theorizes that the reason behind the inequality between the people of New Guinea as compared to “white men” societies is due to geography and what the land has produced. (Cassian Harrison, 2005) He argues that the difference in crops and protein sources have historically impacted the evolution of a civilization. Modernized counties were able to transition from traditional hunter gathering to farming by

In Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond opposed the idea that European civilizations have advanced further than their contemporaries in other continents because their inhabitants were intellectually superior. Instead, he supported the notion that some civilizations developed at a quicker pace than others because of the environmental differences that were present in the continents where they resided. Factors such as wildlife, climate, and the types of resources presented in an area have dramatically affected the growth and development of hunter-gatherer groups into villages, and eventually, nations. In places where the environmental conditions were not ideal, the inhabitants were not able to advance as far as other civilizations. Diamond disproved

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.

Culture is people enacting a story. In the book, Ishmael, written by Daniel Quinn, a story of a young man, who is looking for something in life and comes upon an advertisement in a newspaper that there’s a teacher seeking a pupil to save the world. The world was not made for Man, thus the world does not belong to us and we can’t do whatever we want to because we do not own the world.

“Wilderness” in part four of A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold discusses the evolution of nature at the hands of humans. I choose to write about this essay because of the connection humans have with the wilderness. I have always believed that nature and people have to work together to live harmoniously on this earth. The human race has used nature to survive for as long as they have existed. In today’s world people are using less and less of nature and more technology to industrialize the planet. This essay stood out to me because of the human aspect. Nature is not a separate part of our lives. Humans live and interact with nature every day. Aldo Leopold states in the essay “Wilderness”, “Neither can be prevented [changes to the world], and

The theory of evolution has been discussed, evaluated, and researched many times since the theory was first brought to light. Darwin’s theory of evolution is said to be divided into two parts, common decent and natural selection (Bouzat, 2014). Many research papers agreeing with Darwin’s theory comment on the diversity of a species and how they have descended from one common ancestor. Natural selection is a process in which species that are better adapted to the environment tend to survive and reproduce (Dictonary.com). Natural selection is seen in the finches that Darwin studied on the Galapagos Islands. Environment and food supply changes caused the finches beaks to adapt in a unique way. Studies on Darwin’s finches show us that natural selection in a natural environment is interpretable, observable, and repeatable (Grant, 2003). Natural selection is representable in different types of birds such as the Island Scrub-jay. A study published in 2015 on these Island Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma insularis) demonstrates examples of natural selection. The Cambrian explosion argues against Darwin’s theory of natural selection. It

Chapter three of Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond is a story about how Francisco Pizarro, the Conquistador, brought the end to the Inca civilization with only two hundred men. Diamond uses real accounts from six of the 200 men to tell what happened. The story goes like: Francisco Pizarro by order of the King to travel across New World and conquer the lands and riches for his nation. They had gathered information about an Incan Empire and soon sent their sights on capturing the Incans. The Spanish Conquistadores tried to the Incan leader, Atahuallpa, to convert to Christianity but it failed so Pizarro then captured Atahullpa. The Spaniards then held the leader for ransom, collected a hefty reward, and then killed Atahullpa and conquered the Incan Empire. The Incan people outnumbered the Spanish men by 200 to about 80,000, yet they managed to capture the Incans leader. Chapter three is Diamond explaining how that is.

Yali’s question is about the origins of inequality between societies in the world. He wants to know why people of European descent are rich and powerful while non-white people tend to lack wealth and power. Yali wonders if there is something wrong with non-white people like him, as they are not as technologically or economically advanced as white people.

Throughout “Are Humans One Race or Many?”, Alfred Russell Wallace asserts that human races, despite initially sharing an ancestry line, diversified due to the unique environments each group resided in. Wallace’s thesis postulates that the environment’s “physical peculiarities” (Wallace 218) and specific “climate, food, and habitat” (Wallace 219) are the underlying influences behind the growth of each race. Wallace believes that as human races fostered physical strength and higher thinking, humanity bypassed natural order and established superiority between human races.

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.

In the book, Guns Germs and Steel, Jared Diamond attempts to answer questions of conquest, such as why Eurasia conquered the Americas, and not the other way around. Diamond is a biologist by trade, and both impressed and disappointed the academic world with his new historian side. He believes the answer to western dominance lies in geography and the spread of guns, germs and steel. His theories had led him to be heavily critiqued by historians everywhere, including environmental historian J.R McNeil and Professor of Anthropology and Geography James Blaut. While Diamond provides solid ideas relating to the conquest of the New World, he often uses his scientistic background loosely with unclear supports forgetting other historical factors that

In the documentary Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond, he explains his theory of how people live different lives by people being poorer than others. He also explains how people in the past lived and how they farmed crops, hunted animals, and built their own homes out of dry sand. Jared also explains how some societies are more materially successful than others. He compares societal success to geography, food production, immunity to germs, the domestication of animal, and use of steel. According to Lens¬ki’s, he explains how technology has shaped the human society.

Chapter 1: Diamond’s first attempt at answering Yali’s question begins with another question: did some continents have a head start in civilization over others? The beginning of civilization is traced back to the ape species in Africa about 7 million years ago. They divergence from apes to humans took place from then to the end of the last Ice Age 13,000 years ago. This could have set Africa “ahead” of the other continents. Another major component is when the humans would develop germs, guns, and steel. Due to the Americas’ larger area and more diverse environment, it is possible that they possessed the “head start.” Eurasia could be the more advanced continent because of its artwork and more complex tools. The development of the various continents

A 1. The documentary film called, "Guns, Germs, and Steel: Out of Eden" is produced by Tim Lambert and distributed by National Geographic. I have not heard of Mr. Lambert, however I have watched National Geographic previously. Unfortunately, I do not have enough information on Mr. Lambert to assess whether or not he would be incapable of providing accurate information. Whereas I do not see any reason why National Geographic would not give solid information. They are a company that has been in business for many years with much prestigious background of resources. Although, their work is usually more of current facts rather than historical. Additionally, the film was made back in 2004. Therefore, personal opinion can change over the course of

The classic debate of guns versus butter is a deciding factor of what is prioritized in the society we live in. The debate is over how much money a government should dedicate to the military versus how much money it should dedicate to domestic needs. Out of all the money spent worldwide for military purposes, the United States accounts for half of that. However, the United States is accredited for only about 25% of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP). Our percent of the world’s GDP is about twice of our percent of the world’s military spending. China, on the contrary, has a larger percent of the world’s GDP than it does of the worlds military spending. Furthermore, Japan’s portion of the worlds GDP is about three times the amount of its