Guns, Germs & Steel
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- ArtDirector
Location, location, location...
Who know's what i'm talking about?
- scarabin0
this some fight club reference?
- ArtDirector0
nope, hint: Jared Diamond
- grafholic0
um, the book?
- Jaline0
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obido…
In Guns, Germs, and Steel Jared Diamond presents the biologist's answer: geography, demography, and ecological happenstance.
- Mimio0
Great book. Civilization is all about economics.
- acescence0
read it twice. great book, though some highly contested theories.
i liked is "why is sex fun?" too
- acescence0
is = his
- JazX0
Not sure what the f*ck you're talking about, but there are plenty of Guns, Germs, German-Americans and Steel in Pittsburgh.
- ArtDirector0
Not sure if it came out on tv yet, but I got to see episode one a few weeks ago. Apparently it's going to be a major PBS event sometime in the future (i'm guessing it didn't show on tv yet).
Jared Diamond did a 30 year research on why some countries are more successful than others. His conclusion was because of location. The areas with better resources led to further progress than other nations.
- scarabin0
that's just common sense
- Mimio0
Well, his common sense got him a Pulitzer.
- moural0
I've read and heard much about this book, but haven't picked it up yet. Perhaps I should.
I just don't exactly know how you can classify a "better resource". Furthermore, I think the thesis is a bit thin. Sure, resources are useful, but it's how a nation develops those resources that's more important.
Gold was a great discovery in the New World, but one can argue that those places of discovery are perhaps the most backwards today. The people in search not of gold, but rather dependent on cultivating sugar, coffee, et al, have faired much better.
- mikotondria20
yeah, Jared's cool -
I enjoyed his second - The Third Chimpanzee more, its almost omnological in its scope, I thought.
- Mimio0
Read it. Diamond is mainly talking about a civilization's economics of survival, what it takes to expand, what a strategic resource actually is..etc etc. As far as South American gold goes, he talks about how certain technological advances allowed the Spanish and Portugeuse to overcome incredible odds in taking control over the Mayans(& their gold).
- scarabin0
i bet he rocks at simcity
- mikotondria20
yeah, but his liveJournal is kinda lame:
"....so anyways, I see Luke just before class, and hes like - ohh you had your hair done, **duh!!**, but at least he noticed.....so anyways, I was like, **--_oh, yeah, just a little_--** and hes like cool, so after class we hung out and Bethany (why!? oh why!? does she have to talk all the freaking time ??!!!), and she was like --ooh, nice bag, Jared---, and I was like whatever.....shes so lame....then my mom calls and shes all - - - you get back home right now, and I was like...whatever..."..Cant be the same guy, can it ??
- moural0
Ok, I'll pick it up.
I think my biggest gripe is these books always tend to have a Eurocentric perspective. Sure guns are a technical marvel, diseases not so much.
As for resources, again, it all depends on your desire to utilize them. I mean, South American Indians had no intentions of using gold for the same purpose Iberian, Dutch, and British settlers did.
I'll grab it though, if for nothing else than to have inanimate discourse to debate with. Cheers, Mimio.
- MIJA0
I enjoyed "Guns, Germs..." quite a bit, but has anyone here read his most recent?
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed.
I'm Waiting for the paperback.
- F_180
Collapse is a great read, different subject and a bit more dire. I'm onto The Long Emergency by James H. Kunstler right now....now that is one depressingly realistic book.