Diamond’s strongest argument for which natural advantage aided Eurasian societies the most is the location of large, domesticable animals. Eurasia had by far the most domesticable, large animals. In fact, “13 of the Ancient Fourteen [large, domesticable animals] (including all the Major Five) were confined to Eurasia” (Guns, Germs, and Steel, 161). Compared to only one in The Americas and zero in Australia and Sub-Saharan Africa. The reason for domesticable animals being the greatest advantage derives from the many uses large animals provide. These uses include food and clothing production, transportation, and use in warfare. These services combine to be more useful than any other single natural advantage.
The first and probably most useful service large animals provide is food and clothing production. Large animals are beneficial for “furnishing meat, milk, and fertilizer and by pulling plows” (Guns, Germs, and Steel, 88). Of the 14 domesticated, large animals, 13 of them are herbivores, with the pig being an omnivore (Guns, Germs, and Steel, 160). By having domesticated herbivores, despite the fact that “The conversion of food biomass into consumer’s biomass involves an efficiency… [Of] around 10 percent” (Guns, Germs, and Steel, 169) they still convert otherwise nearly useless plants, such as grass, into nourishing meat or milk. The meat is especially useful because it is high in protein, a nutrient that can be deficient in a diet that doesn’t consist of domesticated animals. On the other hand, milk can provide a steady intake of calories. Furthermore, “domestic mammals interacted with domestic plants to increase food production by pulling plows and thereby making it possible for people to till land that had previously been u...
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...onclusion, the most important natural advantage Eurasian societies had was large domesticable animals. Eurasia has significantly more domesticable large animals than the other continents. The location of these animals allowed the Eurasians to employ the services large domesticated animals provide. These services include: food and clothing production, transportation, and use in warfare. Food and clothing production as well as transport greatly reduce the time and effort required to complete a task. This surplus of time can then be used to produce services and products that otherwise wouldn’t exist. This compounds into a massive advantage for Eurasian people over the continents with scares large domesticable animals. While this isn’t the only natural advantage Eurasia had, the location of these animals is the strongest single factor to answer Yali’s original question.
The reason Jared Diamond wrote this book was to answer the question of his political friend Yali, why did some societies like Eurasia were able to develop Guns, Germs, and Steel that were able to dominate major parts of the world, and why New Guinea was not capable of doing this? This question is certainly not a small picture kind of question because it covers a broad realm. Diamond is a book that has tried his best to cover a whole pattern of history, starting from before the Ice Age to the modern period. But Diamond's all-time famous and award-winning book was really successful in explaining the broad question. Such a type of question is critical to gain a stronger understanding of Diamond’s argument and its effect on the field of history.
As you can see, geographical luck was the main reason europe was so powerful, and was able to conquer so much of the world. Farming allowed Europeans to form permanent settlements, and spend time coming up with new ideas instead of gathering food. It helped them develop immunities to diseases diseases like smallpox. Europe’s technological, advancements, and superior societies were all due to it’s geographic location. It’s location also helped them develop new metalworking techniques because of knowledge passed down from their ancestors from the Fertile Crescent, and brought them new technologies like gunpowder. In the end, Europe’s success was brought on by many factors, but the main one was their geographic luck.
It can be said that Eurasia underwent large changes between 1000 and 1450. Governments were changing their methods of control and trade networks increasing globalization worldwide. Along with these new changes, scientific and technological innovations in Eurasia took flight and reached new heights unseen. As new ideas traveled main trade routes, such as the Silk Road and the Mediterranean, the effects of such were felt through an influx of contact between countries due to increased desire for new information and countries gaining a larger presence on the world stage. This phenomenon can also be seen
I first read Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel in the Fall 2003 based on a recommendation from a friend. Many chapters of the book are truly fascinating, but I had criticisms of the book back then and hold even more now. Chief among these is the preponderance of analysis devoted to Papua New Guinea, as opposed to, say, an explanation of the greatly disparate levels of wealth and development among Eurasian nations. I will therefore attempt to confine this review on the "meat and potatoes" of his book: the dramatic Spanish conquest of the Incas; the impact of continental geography on food production; and finally, the origins of the Eurasian development of guns, germs, and steel. In terms of structure, I will first summarize the book's arguments, then critically assess the book's evidentiary base, and conclude with an analysis of how Guns, Germs, and Steel ultimately helps to address the wealth question.
Gardner, Christopher. Notes from the Doc Talks. Stanford University. Web. April 10, 2014. Pollan, Michael. The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. New York:
When people are eating meat, have they ever stopped and asked themselves what they 're eating, or what type of life the animal they 're eating went through. The articles “An Animal’s Place” by Michael Pollan, explains the moral issue if it 's correct to consume meat. “The Omnivore 's Delusion: Against the Agri-intellectuals”, by Blake Hurst, defends himself against critics who says negativity about industrial farming and the ways animals are treated. After close examination of both articles, the reader would be able to determine what type of farming is more logical.
The Europeans had great agriculture. Since there was rich soil, they were able to harvest a lot. For example, cereal crops like wheat and barley. These were easy to store and also very easy to produce. All you had to do was scatter the seeds around in order to get the plant to start growing. Also, they were very high in calories so it filled you up quickly (Guns, Germs, and Steel Video). There were a lot of different plants to gather. Gathering was a lot easier and effecting than hunting. Most of the gathering was done by women.
A significant factor in the transformation of the land of the New World was trading and hunting. Before Europeans arrived, the natives had manipulated the land themselves to create herds of buffalo and other animals for food, clothing, and other resources. After European colonization, the hunting and trade systems of both groups of people changed. The natives acquired guns and hors...
The Native American Indians had no beasts of burden, no plows, no wagons, no means of transportation, and no way to move heavy objects other than by their own power. The Europeans brought over horses, oxen, donkeys, and camels. Horses became very valuable to the Native Americans. For the hunter-gatherers or nomads, the effect was beneficial because the horse enabled them to cover great distances, and hunters could locate and kill the bison more easily. H...
The blessing and curse of the Agricultural Revolution is advocated with its augmentation and dissemination. Taking the stipulative definition of “blessing” and “curse” from the original premise, one can only superimpose the layman’s terms of “negative” and “positive”. Upon examination of the two classifications within the Neolithic Period and ancient Mesopotamian civilization one can confirm the premise. Therefore, the agriculture revolution was a blessing and a curse for humanity. Human society began to emerge in the Neolithic Period or the New Stone Age. This new age began around 9,000 B.C.E. by the development of agriculture in the region surrounding the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and what is commonly referred to as “The Fertile Crescent” located in West Asia.1 The very development of agriculture had benefited humans by no longer having to move about in search of wild game and plants. Unencumbered by nomadic life humans found little need to limit family size and possessions and settled in a single location for many years. One negative aspect of this settling is that the population increased so much so that wild food sources were no longer sufficient to support large groups. Forced to survive by any means necessary they discovered using seeds of the most productive plants and clearing weeds enhanced their yield.2 This also lead humans to develop a wider array of tools far superior to the tools previously used in the Paleolithic Period or Old Stone Age. The spread of the Agricultural Revolution in the Neolithic Period also cultivated positive aspects by creating connections with other cultures and societies. Through these connections they exchanged knowledge, goods, and ideas on herding and farming.3 Another major positive aspec...
Crosby explains well that ecology played a minor role in the expansion of Europe into the Neo-Europes. However, it seems that technology played a bigger role in European expansion than any other factor. Penicillin was not a cure for bacterial infections until people discovered its use and the only way the Europeans were able to get to the Neo-Europes was by ship.
It is important for people to understand and know what went on in all time periods and how one simple animal cause be the one thing that gets you by each day or how evolving to something greater can either be successful or a disaster depending on where anyone is located. Jared Diamond allowed us to understand how guns, germs and steel helped countries not be so isolated and be open to new technology that helped them prosper to something bigger than what they had. To conclude many nations use the three theories that jared diamond shares so that countries could prosper to something bigger than what they had hence, they also used it to conquer other civilizations so they could gain as much power as they could. To sum up Jared Diamond saw geography more than a way to expand from either east to west but a way to use what they had or what others brought so that they can gain more power while using the theories guns, germs, and steel
...nnot keep up with the mass destruction of forests. In addition, the tremendous amount of grain used to feed the animals could be transported to undeveloped countries for food supply.
“Currently 80% of the world’s agricultural land is used directly or indirectly for animal production. In the US over half the total land mass is used for the production of meat and dairy products” (Clarke).
Farming and animals have co-existed for many years. Furthermore, animals are significant for sustainable mixed farming (Sage, 2012). Animals are raised for their meat and by products such as, milk, wool, leather, eggs. In some countries, they