Will Byrnes's Reviews > Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
by
The arguments he seeks to counter are those stating that since "civilization" came to full flower in the Eurasian countries and not in places where other races dominated, that this success indicated innate superiority. He offers a stunning analysis of why civilization emerged in the places in which it did.
![description](https://cdn.statically.io/img/i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1507267745i/24097278._SX540_.jpg)
Jared Diamond – image from The Guardian
Guns figure large in why some societies were able dominate others, but the development of guns was not a universal. The materials necessary are not equally distributed over the planet, and there are technological prerequisites.
It turns out that not every locale is ideal for the emergence of farming. He offers some detail on why farming flourished in some areas more than in others. The importance of domesticated animals is considered. Diamond shows how it was possible for them to have been domesticated in some, but not all of the theoretically possible locations. He discusses the impact of germs, the immunity defense developed by more urban dwellers, and the harm those germs can cause when those urban dwellers come into contact with peoples who lack such immunities. Although "Steel" figures prominently in the title, and is significant in its use in weaponry, this aspect is given the lightest treatment in the book. Diamond closes with a plea for history to be redefined as History Science, claiming that, as with many other "historical" sciences, it holds the elements necessary to merit the "science" designation.
While I might have been happier if the title had been Guns, Germs, and Seeds, it remains a seminal look at the whys and wherefores of how some societies came to flourish, often at the expense of others. It has nothing to do with genes. Guns, Germs and Steel was awarded the Pulitzer Prize.
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Links to the author’s personal, Twitter and FB pages
An excellent National Geogrtaphic documentary was made of this book. Here is a link to the first of its three episodes.
Diamond's book Collapse, is also amazing.
by
![1526851](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1291462190p2/1526851.jpg)
Will Byrnes's review
bookshelves: all-time-favorites-non-fiction, nonfiction, favorites, brain-candy
Dec 15, 2008
bookshelves: all-time-favorites-non-fiction, nonfiction, favorites, brain-candy
“Why you white men have so much cargo [i.e., steel tools and other products of civilization] and we New Guineans have so little?”Jared Diamond is a biologist, who had a passion for studying birds, particularly the birds of New Guinea. But as he came to know and appreciate the many native people he met in his work, the question asked by a New Guinean named Yani remained with him. Why was it that westerners had so much relative to New Guinean natives, who had been living on that land for forty thousand years. Many found an explanation in racial exceptionalism. Diamond decided to find out. Was one group of people smarter than another? Why was there such dimorphism in the amount of cargo produced and toted by different groups?
The arguments he seeks to counter are those stating that since "civilization" came to full flower in the Eurasian countries and not in places where other races dominated, that this success indicated innate superiority. He offers a stunning analysis of why civilization emerged in the places in which it did.
![description](https://cdn.statically.io/img/i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1507267745i/24097278._SX540_.jpg)
Jared Diamond – image from The Guardian
Guns figure large in why some societies were able dominate others, but the development of guns was not a universal. The materials necessary are not equally distributed over the planet, and there are technological prerequisites.
It turns out that not every locale is ideal for the emergence of farming. He offers some detail on why farming flourished in some areas more than in others. The importance of domesticated animals is considered. Diamond shows how it was possible for them to have been domesticated in some, but not all of the theoretically possible locations. He discusses the impact of germs, the immunity defense developed by more urban dwellers, and the harm those germs can cause when those urban dwellers come into contact with peoples who lack such immunities. Although "Steel" figures prominently in the title, and is significant in its use in weaponry, this aspect is given the lightest treatment in the book. Diamond closes with a plea for history to be redefined as History Science, claiming that, as with many other "historical" sciences, it holds the elements necessary to merit the "science" designation.
While I might have been happier if the title had been Guns, Germs, and Seeds, it remains a seminal look at the whys and wherefores of how some societies came to flourish, often at the expense of others. It has nothing to do with genes. Guns, Germs and Steel was awarded the Pulitzer Prize.
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Links to the author’s personal, Twitter and FB pages
An excellent National Geogrtaphic documentary was made of this book. Here is a link to the first of its three episodes.
Diamond's book Collapse, is also amazing.
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Reading Progress
Started Reading
February 1, 2000
–
Finished Reading
December 15, 2008
– Shelved
December 15, 2008
– Shelved as:
all-time-favorites-non-fiction
December 15, 2008
– Shelved as:
nonfiction
January 28, 2011
– Shelved as:
favorites
November 2, 2012
– Shelved as:
brain-candy
Comments Showing 1-50 of 52 (52 new)
![Will Byrnes](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1291462190p1/1526851.jpg)
Did you know that this book is one of the inspirations for David ..."
No, I did not know that, but will surely keep it in mind when I finally get around to reading it. Thanks for the nugget.
![Kalliope](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1428482885p1/3593962.jpg)
Nat Geographic produced a DVD based on this book with the author as presenter.
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Gotcha. It's clear now. Thanks.
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![Will Byrnes](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1291462190p1/1526851.jpg)
Thanks. I might, indeed
Marvellous review. I remember an old History professor recommending this book ages ago and I had always wanted to read it.
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Did you know that this book is one of the inspirations for David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas