Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies

I found the language difficult to read when reading for entertainment instead of study. But I appreciated the depth and dedication of the author.

Ah yes, the west is the best because nature made it so. Theories are fine and forever readers to think more broadly about humanity and the lived environment but “broadly” is pretty key. The ideas are facile and sweeping.

Whether you’re a professor emeritus or just a curious bystander, the fact that Guns, Germs, and Steel will have something to teach you is an understatement. Inquisitive about the why the human civilization is the way it is? Read it. Questioning whether racial or genetic superiority had anything to do with success rates of conquests in human history? Read it. Diamond does a great job of not only parsing and winnowing through information from a myriad of disciplines but presents it in a easy-to-swallow pill-shaped form that makes you grateful for not only the book’s comprehensiveness but its ability to be easily comprehended as well.

Diamond starts off shooting and raising major questions that are not only intriguing but worth knowing right at the book’s inception. Why wasn’t Africa the foundation of modern human progress and civilization if that’s where human ancestors arose? Why weren’t Native Americans able to topple European conquistadors with their own set of germs and technology? Why were certain populations more susceptible towards defeat and demise than others? Why weren’t aboriginal Australians or the powerful Aztec Indians the ones to come over to Eurasia to conquer and pilfer? The answers have more to do with food and agriculture than genetic predisposition and intellectual superiority.

Diamond’s real challenge more so than connecting these various theories, arguments, and evidence was to be able to present it at a readable pace. Diamond succeeds greatly whether you hold a science degree or not. This is a remarkable book to help you connect the dots at some of society’s greatest puzzles. It makes you understand how historical implications rooted back to the birth of the homo sapiens specie helped charter the world we see and live in today, and exactly how much of it is due to chance and lucky dispositions based on environmental factors rather than differing physical and mental capabilities as some (cough…cough…racists) would have you believe.

One of the most interesting books I've ever read.

white supremacy