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Summary: If you read 1 non-fiction book a year, this is the one
Review: Very readable and logically presented. An interesting cross disciplinary approach to answering the question of why Eurasia's civilizations advanced faster those of other regions, technologically and otherwise. The answer he proposes is geography. While this oversimplifies his case somewhat the basic reasoning is as follows: 1) The different regions of the world began with 'endowments' of domesticatable plants and large mammals (large mammals being especially important to the advancement of civilization as they provide labor, clothing, fertilizer, and above all, food) 2) It is significantly easier for plants and animals to spread along areas of similar climate so Eurasia's East-West orientation facilitated the spread of domesticatible plants and large mammals from one area to others whereas, other regions' (e.g., Africa, the Americas) North South orientation hindered this sharing of 'endowments' 3) To a lessor extent, the sharing of information / technological advances (e.g., the wheel, writen language) was also facilitated by Eurasia's East-West orientationThere are some weaknesses to the author's thesis to which he (refreshingly enough) openly admits. For instance, he is somewhat at a loss to explain why Eurasia's large mammals are so much more amenable to domestication than are Africa's. Stylistically, everything 'works' except for the last chapter where the author essentially bemoans the fact that his field is not more quantitative and lays out potential areas for futher research. The reader can easily skip the chapter and lose little. But after the pleasure of reading the rest of this book, you're likely to be willing to indulge him by reading the last chapter.
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Summary: Convincing socio-environmental analysis
Review: The subtitle 'A short history of everybody for the last 13,000 years' gives an idea of both the scope and power of this work and also its shortcomings. Any attempt to encompass this huge field must necessarily be limited. However Diamond does a great job of outlining the [in his opinion] critical issues and historical determinants. At worst his book is an excellent springboard for more reasearch by the reader, it has certainly inspired me. I think it is one of those things that very few would be sufficiently 'aware' to critique Diamond on any other than a few areas of his analysis. I guess it is like looking up your own country in an encyclopedia to get an idea of how accurate the rest of the material is. In this regard I think Diamond should have [in my opinion] been more open about the assumptions he makes in regard to his analysis of government and religion, he seems to reify current analyses with a very functional analysis of society ie kleptocracy is necessary in order too...and so on. But overall one of those books that should be read by more, and ought to be read by those who won't.
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Summary: Fascinating
Review: Excellent, essential and very revealing ! Read "The Third Chimpanzee" before you start this one...
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Summary: alternative hypotheses
Review: Other hypotheses for the movements of power and civilization include: 1. The English language is better suited to wise political discourse, wise government, wise economic choices Where the English have gone, civilization has advanced. Why? Is there a survival value in our syntax? Possibly. Good politics and good business need good interpersonal and written communication 2. Aquatic life has a subtle preference for swimming against the current, i.e. swimming "upstream". . The water strider insects on my pond swim against the pond currents, for no evident survival reason. There may be within human beings a subtle reptilian urge to swim up stream, against the prevailing air currents. The dominant wind in both the Northern and Southern hemisphere are from the West. Our eyes turn this way. This may at first seem facetious, but is not . I could write a book such as Diamond's "proving" this conjecture.
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Summary: Stone Age And Space Age in Year 2000
Review: Upon finishing "Guns, Germs & Steel" I am left with the regret of having to plow through 400 pages of belabored, repetitious text, which is actually encapsulated in several essential ideas, while not being spared the redundancy of details, at times, insulting in their obviousness; particularly when the predicable explanations extrapolate to circumstances and aspects discussed almost throughout the book. The offense is that much more grave since individuals interested in "Guns, Gems & Steel" are likely to want to be spared the didactic, pedagogical and might I add monotonous style J.D. inflicts on us and enter the material at a slightly more advanced level. In all fairness ,The analysis of the factors impacting the trajectories of cultures and societies are thorough, too!, astutely addressed and analyzed, them being: · Congenial geoclimatic environments: Mediterranean basin, fertile crescent, etc. · Definitely the EW latitudinal axis of Euro-Asia vs NS axis of Africa and the Americas · Domestication head start and sedentarism · Monolithic China vs splintered Europe · To a lesser degree the germ theory · The alphabet Conspicuously absent, due to a lack of stomach for provocation on the part of J.D., is the issue of GENES to which marginal feeble allusions are being made in the epilogue Pg. #417, "The hand of history's course at 8,000 BC lies heavily on us" no kidding! The inability to escape the moral Jewdeo Christian prism by hypothesizing on the reverse outcomes "had Incas been Eurasians then"... and the assertion that "if only" then every human being on the planet would be at the same level of development and no one would have miserable, wretched stone age lives, or depending on the point of view, miserable, alienated space age lives. This inability prevents, the "this is the way it is" type of analysis and laces the antro-socio-historical work in the West with scruples antithetical to pre II WW theories and analysis, which, granted were hysterical in the emphasis of race, archetypal humans and hegemony ... The lame conclusion that the outcome was determined to such an extreme extent by geoclamatic imperatives, ignores the phenomenon of HUMAN SPIRIT. In concrete terms the innate tendency of Humans in all stages to enhance their HUMANNESS and thus to ameliorate the condition of HUMANITY despite the horrid, murderous setbacks of which history is full. " Guns, Germs & Steel" ought not be about on other species of animals and studied as such ; it is about HUMANS. We are special, we are better, we are superior, we are the crown, the miracle of existence on this planet and probably in the planetary neighborhood .
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Summary: A new look at world history. Very plausible and readable.
Review: This is one of those books that has one message and hammers it home thoroughly. Although I'm rather distrustful of "political correctness" and the message of this book is no doubt "politically correct", the man argues reasonably and I found his book persuasive. To me it was a completely new explanation of world history and I'm glad to have read it.
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Summary: Opens ones closed eyes to the past
Review: Brings out the true definition of" Conquest" for various reasons. The main reason being an inert need to eat. You will be amazed at the few controlling the masses for unbelievable reasons It is well understood by those that have never been shot at.
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Summary: Cleared many mysteries.......
Review: I always tried to guess what would have happened if instead of Columbus going to america it was some Aztec merchant coming to europe..... In this book you can understand why that did not happen... A very interesting theory about the evolution of human societies starting from the first H.Sapiens.... You should read it!
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Summary: needs chapter on alternative theories
Review: Advance and retreat of civilization is an important topic which, if understood, will aid our own happiness and survival. There should be a chapter on alternative theories. I have at least one other theory, not mentioned in any of the reviews, which I can "prove" or substantiate to be true, and I am writing such a book.
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Summary: A new look at "environmental determinism"
Review: Diamond makes an excellent case for a new version of "environmental determinism" as he discusses the geographic factors that led Europe to conquer the world. I enjoyed the book and learned a great deal.
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