Guns, Germs and Steel Part 1 of 18

Episode One : Out of Eden (Part 1 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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[Maserati7200]

@493175001 There is none. 

[Hoepsakee]

Thanks or posting this series. Everyone liking this..please read the book:) Cheers

[theclockstickin]

@TehMattyfull your argument may not be backed by 100% clear facts, but your overall idea is right. this isn't about genes at all. lets be honest, the reason there are more black criminals in jail is due to a variety of reasons. some of them being inequality and unequal conditions or racial discrimination and stereotyping. casey anthony walks free but a black woman who sold a gram of weed is imprisoned for 25 years. its society that is to blame, not biology.

[cartertevin5]

@PasswordOVER9000 And Socio-Economic Status 

[cartertevin5]

@PasswordOVER9000 There is no true one definition for intelligence. And I highly doubt that intelligence increases, or decreases as one moves further away from the Jungle - LMFAO. Environment, Culture, and Education define ones "Intelligence", Not the distance from the jungle, LMAO....

[PasswordOVER9000]

The most advanced civilizations have been created by whites and East Asians. Perhaps the reader believes that the failure of Africans to create civilizations in the past is not due to genes, but to an environment. It does seem that not only does intelligence increase with distance away from the tropics, but so does civilization. Southern Asia is also tropical and its people also have a lower level of both intelligence and civilization, but not nearly as low as in Africa.

[NewOrleansboii]

@shanish82 Nice display of your intellectual ability.

[towerofrebel]

this book totally destroyed me faith but in a good way

i've now come ot something totally different but this book was a HUGE eye opener to my whole life, it explained the reason for continental movements in broad history.

[goblinclaus]

i am* not sure

[goblinclaus]

@493175001 the very goal of this book was to attempt to explain the reason for the success of eurasians, their advanced civilizations and their domination on other races while refuting the assumption that the reason for the eurasian hegemony is the eurasian racial superiority that expresses itself in their intelectual or moral superiority. so of course it wouldn't talk about differences in the intelectual capability of the races (i personaly don't sure if there are any) .

[LovemeAquarius]

68 people need to go back to school.