Causes of Different Country Rates of Development

Causes of Different Country Rates of DevelopmentKaitlyn KanalyGuns, Germs, and stigmaSummaryIn Guns, Germs, and firebrand, J atomic number 18d baseball field is trying to answer his friend, Yalis, question. Yali asked diamond in New Guinea, Why is it that you white people developed so such(prenominal) cargo, scarce we black people had little cargo of our own? ( adamant, 1998, p. 14). Yali was referring to al sensation of the different advantages certain societies had that resulted in prosperous populations, plot of ground an new(prenominal)(prenominal)s failed. Diamond centers Guns, Germs, and Steel around answering Yalis question. Throughout the semester, we were set out to shape the big idea of each chapter individually. The first half of this books big idea is to show how regimen production, domesticating plants and animals, and intimately importantly, how geography itself are the main ciphers that determined which societies became more powerful than a nonher. Diam ond supports his thesis through and through evidence that he reveals in each chapter.Diamonds pursuit for an answer to Yalis question stimulateed off by looking at the biology of when and how the first humans evolved. Then, he concentrated on more specific societies to further support his research. During his research, Diamond still could not explain why Eurasia became the close to advanced continent even though Africa had a head start. What Diamond came to find out, however, is that a order of magnitude is not prospered because of the color of adepts skin or how intelligent nonpareil may or may not be, precisely it is the geography that allows a society to either flourish or diminish.To further defend his geographicalal explanation, Diamond suggests that the events that alsok place on the Chatham Islands was, in fact, due to a geographic stand point of the Maori and Moriori people. The technologically advanced Maori society successfully crushed the comfortably weaker Moriori society. Further justifying this explanation, he points out that race could not stupefy been a factor between these two groups because the two cultures had come from the same breed and were just separated within an unmindful time frame. Diamond besides looked at factors, other than genetics, that determined the differences between the two societies. He thence concluded that the Moriori were unable to provide an abundance of victuals due to the rimed climate. The lack of nutrition put the Moriori at a disadvantage because their society was signifi screwtly weaker than the Maoris. Aside from the production of food, the Maori people were advanced in other areas that were not possible for the Moriori because of their geographic location. Because the Moriori were isolated on an island, they did not have the means for communication with other people, and technological ideas were unable to spread to their society. Thus, scarcely the Maori people were rich in food production, technology, and communication because of their geographic location. geography as well as has had a major effect in which parts of the human developed food production over others. Areas such as desolate or high mountains are simply not suited for agriculture, while others may support more or less crops, just not others. Another factor is that in that location are only a limited number of plants desirable for domestication. According to Diamond, being able to successfully produce food was the start for societies to also develop of guns, germs, and steel. There are a few components that influenced the word sense of food production the decline in wild foods, an increase in plants, the development of technology, and change in population density. With less wild food available, people did not have much of a choice but to grow their own. Technology also allowed food to be produced at a quicker pace. Acquiring an abundance of food meant that societies could reach a higher(prenominal) population density that would, in turn, lead to many more advantages. masses were able to settle in one place because of farming, which allowed more interlacing and advanced food production. These more densely populated societies were able to farm technology, invent writing, and became immune to epidemic diseases. All three of these remarkable factors is what Diamond found to be the reasons why one society was able to conquer another. Still, there were additional factors that Diamond set out to examine.Animals also play a key role in certain parts of the cosmos developing quicker than others the distribution of animals around the man was also a result of geography. Eurasia was home to the most domesticated mammals, which put the people there at an advantage. These domesticated animals not only helped as an additional food source, but also provided many other services for societies. Farming was accurate much easier and at a quicker pace because animals were able to whiff plows and also serve as fertilizer. Animal fur was used to keep an eye on warm, and the bones were converted into various handy tools.Diamond also canvass the elan plants, food, and ideas were able to spread from continent to continent. Food production spreads most easily if one is moving east to west, because plants and animals didnt have to hold to a drastic change alike you would going northward and south, as the climate will be either the same or exchangeable going east or west as opposed to north and south. For example, because Eurasia is spread further east and west, it was almost effortless to haul crops and animals from one location to another, which made Eurasia more successful and subsequently advanced than other parts of the world.In conclusion, there are many reasons why certain societies prospered compared to others and it all boils down to the geography of the land. Diamond proves that beneficial aspects of geography allows societies to effortlessly grow food than oth ers. On the other hand, there are also geographical explanations as to why food production failed in some parts of the world. Diamond confidently insists that it does not matter who is smarter than who, but rather, that the most prosperous society was blessed by the more dominant environment. In essence, those who lived in more fertile areas had a much greater regain of success.ReflectionI strongly believe that Diamond does an amazing call up over at dissecting how and why certain continents prevailed over others. He manages to go into detail, but not too much detail that would confuse his readers. I like the fact that he keeps his findings slightly broad because it makes the story line easier to follow. The way he presents how geography plays such a major role in history is extremely powerful and intriguing.There are many critics, however, who do not meet with Diamonds message that geography is the supreme factor for advanced continents, rather than racial or intelligence reas ons. For example, York and Mancus are more concerned with the social aspects that contributed to the rise of certain continents over others. As quoted from the Human Ecology ReviewHis position would be strengthened if he more fully recognized that different types of societies have different natural dynamics, and that each era has its own particular processes and contradictions (York Mancus, 2007, p. 160).I think that this is too critical of an opinion for Diamonds work. I do not think that Diamond intended his book to be overly specific, but rather a more broad, overall explanation of how and why the world evolved the way it did.Another critic focuses on the chapter in Diamonds book where latitude is discussed. James Blaut, a geography professor, suggests that Diamond supplies scantily an explanation of the development and westward spread of technology and food. According to The geographic ReviewHis description fails to mention that diffusion eastward and southward from the upri se East via the Indian Ocean, and southward from mainland China through the South China Sea, was as important and as blowsy, as was diffusion west-ward (Blaut, 1999, p. 400).I assent with this critic that Diamond should have explored all options for the spread of technology and food before he had stated that east-west movement was the easiest way to do it successfully. However, I do not recall Diamond saying that east-west diffusion was the one and only way.Although there are critics that do not fully agree with everything that Diamond has found in his research in Guns, Germs, and Steel, I think that this book is exceptionally educational. The book has an outstanding story line that is easy to follow and is packed with intriguing information that truly gets you thinking. I cant wait to finish the rest of the book to see what else Diamond has to say about the establishment of our world.SourcesBlaut, J. M. (1999). ENVIRONMENTALISM AND EUROCENTRISM.Geographical Review,89(3), 391.Diam ond, J. (1998).Guns, Germs, and Steel. New York W.W. Norton Company.York, R., Mancus, P. (2007). Human Ecology Review. Diamond in the Rough Reflections on Guns, Germs, Steel, 14(2). http/www.humanecologyreview.org/pastissues/her142/yorkandmancus.pdf