Guns, Germs, and Steel — Jared Diamond
Overall, I liked it, although the author revisits the main idea several times to make sure we fully understand it.
Ideas
The environment determines the development of human societies. Why did Europeans conquer America and not the other way around? Because Europeans had germs, guns, and steel. But why did Europeans have germs, guns, and steel in the first place?
The author argues that it’s not because Native Americans were less intelligent or less hardworking. The difference lies in the conditions of the continents. What conditions matter?
- The types of wild plants and animals that can be domesticated
- The presence of barriers to cultural diffusion and population migration (for example, in Europe, domesticated plants spread easily and quickly, whereas in America, plants domesticated in the south were difficult to use in the north)
And we must not forget the time span of human populations in a particular area and their size (fewer people mean fewer inventors, which leads to fewer innovations).
The key point is when and how food production originated and developed. A very interesting perspective with lots of examples, totally recommend.