"Guns, Germs and Steal"

Paper Summary:

This paper reviews the book "Guns, Germs and Steal: The Fates of Human Societies," by Jerod Diamond, which studies the development of civilizations and the interplay between technology and illness. The author critiques Diamond's theory on "the receptivity of whole societies to innovation", arguing that it reflects his bias toward Western nations. Like Diamond, the author of this paper steers clear of making judgments on good (vs. bad) societies, stating instead that the definition of good depends on one's paradigm.

From the Paper:

"Weaponry, as a technology, was developed through what the author calls "diffusion", a sort of "neighborly osmosis" where societies improve their technology by learning, imitating, or usurping what close-by civilizations and nations have already invented. He cites the opposite of this theory by pointing out that the Tasmanians, living without water craft, and isolated by the sea from Australia (only 1200 miles distant) had no contact with other societies for 10,000 years and acquired no new technology other than what they invented themselves. Australians and New Guineans received only a trickle of technology from Asia. The societies most able to develop and improve on technology were those located on the major continents."

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• Analytical Essay # 83904 : "Jared Diamond's "Guns, Germs and Steel"

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