Guns, Germs and Steel

[ZeroG]

I started reading Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond.

I am about 1/4 through it and I am very impressed. It is the ultimate history book. It tries to explain how different societies developed at different rates. It starts in the beginning, like why did the societies which domesticated animals and grew their own food, multiply faster than strictly hunter-gatherer societies. And why do the more advanced societies dominate and destroy these lesser societies.

It is an amazing book.
 

[PK]

That sounds really fascinating. The Cliff's Notes version of that book would probably just be, "You Snooze, You Lose".

Didn't you read a book years ago about how the decline of civilization started when man first started farming for others?

[Ginafish]

It starts in the beginning, like why did the societies which domesticated animals and grew their own food, multiply faster than strictly hunter-gatherer societies. And why do the more advanced societies dominate and destroy these lesser societies.

Let's see...the ultimate answer is "Due to procreation". As I see it, the 'farmers' aren't on the move quite as much as the 'nomads' so they can make more permanent shelters to adjust to their climate. Hence, more time indoors, more time with their spouse. However, they don't know anything about birth control. And even their seventh son expects an inheritance. So then they have to gather up all their clans people to take over the nomads territory, pushing them farther and farther away, until finally, all the nomads are located in central Europe, are now called Gypsies, and have a population of 459.

How close am I?? Am I so far off base that I'm going to have to read this now? Or will a 'ZeroG's abbreviated version appear in your blog? Mensa minds are dying to know.   

[ZeroG]

Didn't you read a book years ago about how the decline of civilization started when man first started farming for others?

Yeah, that was called "Ishmael" by Daniel Quinn. This book is more scientific than a gorilla speaking telepathically to a man about the history of the world. But amazingly similar conclusion you have to admit.

[ZeroG]

As I see it, the 'farmers' aren't on the move quite as much as the 'nomads' so they can make more permanent shelters to adjust to their climate. Hence, more time indoors, more time with their spouse. However, they don't know anything about birth control. And even their seventh son expects an inheritance. So then they have to gather up all their clans people to take over the nomads territory, pushing them farther and farther away, until finally, all the nomads are located in central Europe, are now called Gypsies, and have a population of 459.

Very good, but you only scratched the surface. People who domesticate animals contract and become immune to new diseases. When hunter-gather societies are exposed to these germs, they cannot develope a resistance to them quick enough and they die.

The reviews on the link I gave don't do it justice and are highly critical of his work. I am learning a bunch from it, I'm sure most of the people who reviewed it already knew this stuff, so they nit-pick. I think it is fascinating.