Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies (20th Anniversary Edition) by Jared Diamond was a sensation when it was first published, and since it has come under some justified criticism.
In the marshaling of such meta-historical information, the incentive to ignore counter examples is strong. Diamond sites the Viking abandonment of Greenland a few times. For decades, it was believed the Norse failed to adapt to an increasingly colder Greenland. They were farmers and herders and failed to hunt the abundant sea life like their Inuit neighbors. In recent years, we have learned that the Norse were involved in the ivory trade with Europe. They also ate arctic marine mammals. Greenland became a less appealing place to live not because of mal-adaption to climate, but money. When the African ivory market opened in the 1400s, Greenland became an unappealing place to make a living.
Also, the book is also highly repetitive. Diamond revisits topics at the end that he handled in the beginning, adding nothing to the discussion. I wonder why.
Despite all this, the book is thought provoking; a great jumping off point toward an examination of why cultures differ from each other. The topic itself is fascinating.
No comments:
Post a Comment