Response 1

Response to "Why Did Human History Unfold Differently On Different Continents For The Last 13,000 Years?" by Jared Diamond

Identify Diamond’s major themes and key points

One major theme of Diamond’s essay was that the differences between people in different parts of the world are due to continental environments and not biological differences. The other theme is that “the availability of wild plant and animal species suitable for domestication, and the ease with which those species could spread without encountering unsuitable climates, contributed decisively to the varying rates of rise of agriculture and herding, which in turn contributed decisively to the rise of human population numbers, population densities, and food surpluses, which in turn contributed decisively to the development of epidemic infectious diseases, writing, technology, and political organization” (Diamond). The last theme that he touches briefly is that “many people accept racist explanations of history’s broad pattern because we don’t have a convincing alternative explanation” (Diamond).

One key point of this essay was why some parts of the world had less domesticated plants and animals. Some reasons for this were due to size, whether the land mass was stretched more horizontally or vertically, and climate. Another point is that domesticated animals yield far more calories/acre than wild animals leading to population densities 10 to 100 times greater. Agriculture also help a lot with settling of larger societies.

What does Diamond identify as the most important determinants to a society’s success?

            Diamond specifically tells of guns, steel, oceangoing ships, political organization, and writing in why Europeans came to “dominate” the world but Diamond has more general determinants. The first of these is that technology has to be created and implemented. The higher the population, the higher the chance of there being advances in technology, but also independent factors that contribute to the society’s willingness to accept innovations needs to be considered. The second is that technology tends to come from the outside, as in not locally. So societies that are in close contact with each other are going to advance rapidly. The last is that technology has to be maintained. The societies that don’t maintain the useful advances will either be outcompeted or repent their error.

How can these ideas be applied to today’s global economy?

            The main point in Diamond’s essay that can be applied to today’s global economy is that people across the world that you do or will do business with are not inferior/superior to you. The differences between you and them are due to their environment and history. This in turn should make people doing business be respectful because everyone is on equal ground. This could make for fair business deals and better relations between countries. The racist explanations for the differences between the cultures of people only hurt.