Jared Diamond's geographic-deterministic explanation for the global distribution of power — answering 'Yali's question': why do some peoples have so much cargo and others so little?
Geography as destiny: the differential distribution of domesticable plants and animals explains which regions developed agriculture first, and agriculture → food surpluses → specialists → cities → states → technology and germs → conquest. Proximate vs. ultimate causes: guns, germs, and steel are proximate; the ultimate causes are geographical. Rejects racial explanations for inequality. Pulitzer Prize winner.
Discussing
Ask anything about Guns Germs and Steel — their ideas, influences, contradictions, legacy.
Sign in to start a conversation.