Guns, Germs and Steel Part 2 of 18

Episode One : Out of Eden (Part 2 of 6)

Jared Diamond's journey of discovery began on the island of Papua New Guinea. There, in 1974, a local named Yali asked Diamond a deceptively simple question:

"Why is it that you white people developed so much cargo, but we black people had little cargo of our own?"

Diamond realized that Yali's question penetrated the heart of a great mystery of human history -- the roots of global inequality.

Why were Europeans the ones with all the cargo? Why had they taken over so much of the world, instead of the native people of New Guinea? How did Europeans end up with what Diamond terms the agents of conquest: guns, germs and steel? It was these agents of conquest that allowed 168 Spanish conquistadors to defeat an Imperial Inca army of 80,000 in 1532, and set a pattern of European conquest which would continue right up to the present day.

Diamond knew that the answer had little to do with ingenuity or individual skill. From his own experience in the jungles of New Guinea, he had observed that native hunter-gatherers were just as intelligent as people of European descent -- and far more resourceful. Their lives were tough, and it seemed a terrible paradox of history that these extraordinary people should be the conquered, and not the conquerors.

To examine the reasons for European success, Jared realized he had to peel back the layers of history and begin his search at a time of equality -- a time when all the peoples of the world lived in exactly the same way.

Category:

Education

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• germs
• steel
• jared
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• pulitzer
• prize
• out
• of
• eden

[micflor531313]

Europeans were almost wiped out by germs thousands of yrs ago. If you look at India, China, and Africa today the reason they are poor is political corruption: the people at the top will not share in the wealth. And it is the growth of a consumer society that grows the U.S. The most remarkable inventions in this country were done by people in their garages. Not by big corps or govt. Ford, Apple, HP, Gates all worked at home. We must allow that to continue to happen.

[TheStickdee]

quite surprised those ladies had all there toes swinging that axe around willy nilly

[mrpepsidrink]

@StephBkr732 Can you prove that He doesn't exist? how do you know that by Him creating the world in 7 days, that mean 7 human days? 7 days could be billions of years old. so the animal fossils could be millions of years old because each day could have been billions. also, the prehistoric human fossils could also have been mutated apes, which explains why apes still exist today and not died of which according to "natural selections" it should.

[MrVegiita]

The answer to his question.. is very simple.. Alien intervention.

[micflor531313]

Excuse me the Wright Bros. invented the airplane, with NO govt help. If anything, the Govt. stole their inventions and forced them into GOVT controlled court. Telescopes were invented hundreds of yrs ago. Look up the history of each one. Bronowski had a good book on Connections...that is useful. ALL inventions have a history. SCUBA invented by Jacques Cousteau. Govt. wants to seize and control inventions for political use...like the way Communist China limits the internet today

[micflor531313]

there was no govt. funding for Gutenberg, Apple (Steve Jobs) and Wozniak. Henry Ford had none. Hewlett Packard started in a garage. Bill gates had no govt. help. it is true that SOME govt. funding does help, but many of the most important inventions were done in garages...hmmm Should the govt. subsidize garages? Yes govt can help, Bell Labs invented the laser, with some govt help. And radar was subsidized...there are great examples on both sides. But Govt. is NOT essential

[jaymckib]

And, the most advanced inventions are NOT by individuals, but instead by large government funding - radar, sonar, scuba, the internet, satellites, GPS, explosives, bombs, tanks, planes, aircraft carriers, massive ships, nuclear power, telescopes, tanks - all funded by massive governments.

[jaymckib]

Yes, India, China and Africa have plenty of corruption. But, the book's point is what led to inequality among different civilizations and regions prior to the 1500's, which gave large civilizations with weapons and germs an advantage moving forward, an advantage that allowed them to dominate the planet.

[jaymckib]

Yes, Europeans were impacted by germs, but it was hundreds of years ago, not thousands. And, they were almost wiped out by germs of their own making, plagues created by dense large populations - and by many of the same germs that they "exported" to other continents starting in the 1500's. 25% of Europe was eliminated. 24 of 25 million in the Americas were killed by germs or conquest - or 96%. The population of Indians went from 25.3 million in 1519, to a scant 1 million in 1605.

[jaymckib]

Yes, Europeans were impacted by germs, but it was hundreds of years ago, not thousands. And, they were almost wiped out by germs of their own making, plagues created by dense large populations - and by many of the same germs that they "exported" to other continents starting in the 1500's. 25% of Europe was eliminated. 24 of 25 million in the Americas were killed by germs or conquest - or 96%. The population of Indians went from 25.3 million in 1519, to a scant 1 million in 1605.

[jaymckib]

Your points are off-base.

[MegaBigpapa007]

no wonder black people are so good on handling my wood