tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post7901147307508626752..comments2024-02-29T02:54:19.767-05:00Comments on Babbling Books: Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared M. DiamondBrian Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-12442592304271035912014-01-05T17:21:24.059-05:002014-01-05T17:21:24.059-05:00Hi Frank - that is a very insightful quote.
I mus...Hi Frank - that is a very insightful quote.<br /><br />I must admit that my understanding of the details of Marxist thought, that is beyond the basics is sketchy. IBased upon the quote it does seem that Marx understood something about the long term development of human civilization. <br /><br />It seems to me that one thing about Jared's basic ideas is that he does a lot of borrowing from thinkers of both the present and the past.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-27243154025202435612014-01-05T16:01:01.299-05:002014-01-05T16:01:01.299-05:00I think this video is of more value to someone tha...I think this video is of more value to someone that has also read, Origin Of The Family, by Engels. I promote it, because I hope it prepares people to understand Marx materialist conception of history. Engels over 100 years ago, in his book Origin, came up with many of the ideas Jared develops. But Engels goes into more detail about how a super abundance of food, had to be reached before slavery could be economical. A super abundance of food, made the first class divided society possible, made ecno0nic inequality possible.<br /><br />I must add, I only watched the video, and do not know how much the video leaves out from the book, or whether it does the book justice. <br /><br />I will quote Engels speech at Marx funeral to point out why I see so much similarity in Jared's thesis, between him and Marx.<br /><br />Quote<br /><br />Just as Darwin discovered the law of development or organic nature, so Marx discovered the law of development of human history: the simple fact, hitherto concealed by an overgrowth of ideology, that mankind must first of all eat, drink, have shelter and clothing, before it can pursue politics, science, art, religion, etc. that therefore the production of the immediate material means, and consequently the degree of economic development attained by a given people or during a given epoch, form the foundation upon which the state institutions, the legal conceptions, art, and even the ideas on religion, of the people concerned have been evolved, and in the light of which they must, therefore, be explained, instead of vice versa, as had hitherto been the case." (Frederick Engels, "Speech at the Grave of Karl Marx" 1883) <br /><br />ttp://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1frank56https://www.blogger.com/profile/11381980539610728103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-34906508274702061572012-02-25T17:50:38.427-05:002012-02-25T17:50:38.427-05:00Though i have not actually seen it, there is a PBS...Though i have not actually seen it, there is a PBS series based upon the book. Watching it might be an alternative if, like myself, one has so much to read and so little time! The link to the show is : http://www.pbs.org/gunsgermssteel/index.htmlBrian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-56114925797153575932012-02-25T16:40:22.506-05:002012-02-25T16:40:22.506-05:00I've been meaning to read this for ages, but i...I've been meaning to read this for ages, but it keeps escaping the TBR pile. It sounds like such an ambitious book, but it seems Diamond has succeeded in his project and written a fascinating exploration of history. I must try and get around to reading it.Violethttp://www.still-life-with-books.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-57095592288230824832012-02-23T23:08:44.949-05:002012-02-23T23:08:44.949-05:00Yes, the information on the alphabets was fascinat...Yes, the information on the alphabets was fascinating. What is striking is how infrequently that humans invented new alphabets from scratch. Diamond indicates that it may have only happened twice, in Samaria and Mesoamerica respectively.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-77339041438290030102012-02-23T10:33:29.983-05:002012-02-23T10:33:29.983-05:00I loved this book; it opened my eyes to many thing...I loved this book; it opened my eyes to many things, and, like you say, it's full of informative trivia. One of my favourite chapters was about language and the alphabets and how they spread across the Mediterranean.LMRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08538873868140070018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-20491320531547350892012-02-21T22:04:05.373-05:002012-02-21T22:04:05.373-05:00An interesting point of the book, is that societie...An interesting point of the book, is that societies that did have agriculture, but had less versatile and adaptable plants and animals, usually fell behind the societies with the "better" plants and animals. In terms of building a civilization, cows are better then llamas!Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-67730533555846785992012-02-21T21:39:57.224-05:002012-02-21T21:39:57.224-05:00This was one of my favorite books as well. It sub...This was one of my favorite books as well. It subtly changed the way I looked at the grand sweep of history. If your tribe developed in a place without a cultivatable grain crop or domesticatible animals, you're stuck with hunting and gathering, until some farmers show up to shove you aside. The funny thing is that agriculture doesn't always lead to an improved quality of life--but it does lead to a greater population, which wins out in the end.Tricky Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14874681315945218132noreply@blogger.com