I do believe that Diamond is a geographic determinist. Throughout the book he makes the case that, a person’s future is based on the location that person was born. If someone was born in Australia during the 1800’s, they would live with primitive tools and a basic lifestyle. Whereas, if that person was born in Europe during the same time, that person would be a part of a complex society with many advance tools.
Diamond also shows this is by convincing the reader that Europe won history. He shows that the majority of the world was conquered by some European country at some point in time. This determines the fate of the people in the location that was conquered because the Europeans could have completely whipped out the natives or just forced their beliefs on them. This could completely change the future of the natives.
Diamond is a geographic determinist. With these arguments he makes throughout his book, he is basically saying that it does matter where someone if from. The location of your birth will determine your future.
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This is true, but don't forget that the reason it Europeans were able to conquer the Natives was because Europeans had the advantage of immunity. The Natives of the Americas were never exposed to diseases such as small pox, which quickly killed them off. Also, Europeans had advanced weaponry beyond what any of the Natives could comprehend. Europeans were just better off because of their geography. Being near the Fertile Crescent gave them the boost they needed to begin their ascent into power.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Richard in a way though, where you are born can determine what your future is like. Think about it in modern time, 21st century, someone how is born in Africa compared to someone that is born in the States; who is going to have the upper hand to a better future? The Geography matters, in Africa their history and like Lizett said doesn't enhance a better future especially when the United States has the advantage in also being a developed country and Africa still being a developing country even today!
ReplyDeleteI agree with your blog because location is a significant part of evolution. Location gives us a chance to adapt and become accustom to certain aspects of life. If we were not descendants of Africa, we would not be familiar to certain customs verses us starting out in South America. I also agree that Diamond is a geographic determinist and he has the information to support his claims.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you Richard. He makes many points on animal domestication and the Fertile Crescent being the number one spot for everything to happen. This includes domestication of crops in the area: wheat, barley, and others.
ReplyDeleteThis post is very much like the one I posted. So, I agree with you. The one thing that you and I forgot to mention was the reason why Europeans where able to persuade the Natives. The reason to this was: they had better defensive weapons and carry diseases that the Natives weren't exposed to. They had so many advantages that the Natives didn't come up with until later on.
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