Social Inequality

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Social inequality is a topic that has been debated for 1000’s of years, and remains a very fluid topic today. It’s fair to assume that there isn’t a defining reason as to why certain societies have progressed faster than others, as we can inly give theory as to why we see advanced, industrialized states; while other societies have failed to establish the technology often assumed with modernized nations. Jared Diamond, professor of geography and physiology at the University of California, Los Angeles has dedicated much of his adult life researching why social inequality exists. What Diamond has theorized, through his extensive study of hunter and gatherer societies of tribal Papua New Guinea, and his subsequent study of ancient Eurasian societies, was the environment which bound these cultures was the sole reason as to whether or not they advanced to a modern state. Opponents to Diamond’s theory have proposed differing theories, ranging from the societies religious beliefs, to whether or not the society practiced an egalitarian way of living, all of which can be debated as to justifiable causes of social inequality. Others believe Diamond’s theory is to obscure, citing that the ability of a society to adapt and make use of its natural environment is an over simplistic explanation to an issue for which there isn’t a definitive answer. So the question remains, why have certain societies progressed faster than others? Agreeing with Diamond’s theory, I believe the answer lies solely in the ability of a given society to farm, and of equal importance the type of farming each culture’s environment provides them.

Nutritional resources are of great importance in Diamond’s theory as to why certain societies progressed more rapidly than oth...

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...ffort or innovation, the environment that surrounds your culture, and many other societies still experiencing social inequality, is not suitable for proper expansion.

References

Cooper, Zarine. “Archaeology and History: Early Settlements in the Andaman Islands.” Journal of Asian Studies 63.3 (2004): 820-822. JSTOR. Web. 25 Apr. 2012. .

Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs, and Steel. Tim Lambert James Gold. Pbs. youtube. Web. 22 Apr. 2012. .

Harris, Marvin, and Orna Johnson. Cultural Anthroplogy. 7th ed. 2000. Boston: Pearson, 2007. N. pag. Print.

Nanda, Serena, and Richard Warms. “Tribal Warfare.” Cultural Anthroplogy. 10th ed. 2010. N.p.: n.p., 2010. 245. books.com. Web. 2 May 2012.

Richerson. “Horticultural Societies.” booksonline. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 May 2012. .

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