Jared M. Diamond’s Guns,
Germs and Steel, is one of those books that
sets out to prove a theory. It is also one of those books that span over four
hundred pages proving a theory that could be encapsulated in less then one
hundred pages. This is not a criticism; I am very glad that it did take Diamond
this many words to reach his conclusions, as the journey was just as fun as arriving
at the final destination.
Diamond’s
hypothesis is in three parts. First, is the somewhat obvious contention that certain
societies, especially, those originating in Eurasia, easily conquered and
dominated other societies, particularly those in the Americas, Africa,
Australia and Polynesia, due to the former having more advanced technology, as
well as resistance to lethal diseases then did the latter.
The
second part of the theory is that these Eurasian societies gained these
advantages as a result of more organized and efficient farming and herding methods.
These advanced agronomic systems led to greater population growth, advanced
technology and greater societal organization. Furthermore, these cultures
developed a system where humans basically lived side by side with domestic animals.
This human-animal proximity resulted in the formation of deadly diseases, and
eventual immunity to those diseases. It
also turned the peoples of these societies into biological weapons. When
Europeans and Asians encountered people who had little or no exposure to
domestic animals, waves of epidemic and death resulted.
Finally,
Diamond attributes these advantages in agricultural systems and Animal
husbandry almost entirely to differences in geography,
climate, and biological diversity in various parts of the world. Eurasia
harbored a mix of wild plants and animals that was much more conducive to the
development of agriculture and animal domestication, then did the other
landmasses. In addition, the climate and geography of Eurasia helped the
development and spread of cultivated plants and domestic animals, more so then
did the climate and geography of the other continents.
As I
stated above, Diamond could have written a much more concise book. Instead, he
chose to write a highly detailed and intellectually rich chronicle of early
agriculture, pre-historic mass human migrations, linguistics and a whole lot
more. If one approaches this work eager to learn about the world and how our
planet and peoples reached their present state, one will find Diamond’s book a
delight.
I
must admit, fairly early in Guns,
Germs and Steel, when Diamond began to
explain in great detail, specifically how peas and other crops were developed,
I had, for a moment or two, the temptation to begin skipping sections. This
book really goes into detail on some very arcane subjects. Did I really want to
spend time reading multifarious facts about how horticultural processes
developed? I stuck with it. I read every word. Before long I was hooked! I not
only discovered how the modern pea was developed, but how shellfish hooks were
invented and how Llamas were domesticated, plus how lots of other stuff came to
be. In the process I did not just absorb some obscure facts. I learned a little
bit more about how people think and how humans accomplish things. I also
learned much about the origins of the peoples of the Philippines, China, South
Africa, and many other places. I absorbed lots of other things too. Perhaps
most importantly, I see a little bit clearer, and am thinking about, how this all
connects with the totality of the human story.
This
is what reading should be about. I believe that delving into such details along
the way, maybe details that one originally never intended to dig into, is one
of the paths that needs to be trod in order to think and to reason more deeply
and coherently. I think that if we restrict ourselves too tightly to what we think
that we are just very interested in,
we risk missing out on entire worlds. The experience of reading this book
really brings this concept to light.
Getting
to the main point is not the only thing that reading, discussing and thinking,
should be about. Experiencing the entire process, with all its diverging
details, connections and paths, is a necessary and joyful way of getting a
better view of the big picture. It is all part of reaching a better
understanding of people, as well as fascinating web that we call existence. It
is also fun! For those with an insatiable curiosity about such things, Guns,
Germs and Steel is a great choice.
