Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies (Paperback)

Product Review
In " Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies," Jared Diamond argues that the Earth's geography has been the sole determining factor in the evolution and development of all the world's civilizations. In particular, Diamond argues that Europeans and Asians came to dominate the world politically and economically due to their favorable geographic circumstances.

Diamond asserts that the people of Europe and Asia had the benefits of highly fertile land and animals that could be domesticated, while the native peoples of Africa, the Pacific and the Americas did not have these assets. As a result, Europeans had a "head start" in the development of their civilization. Having overcome their agrarian problems by 1500, Europeans used their newly developed "guns" and "steel" along with "germs" to dominate the globe. Thus, issues of race and biology do not explain the course of world history. If African tribes had lived in Europe, says Diamond, it would be they, not Europeans, who would dominate the world today.

Overall, this book is a very significant contribution to lay understanding of why the West "has more cargo" than other cultures. It is not intended to be a work of pure scholarship; it doesn't pretend that this is the Complete and Final Answer. It is frank in identifying issues still be addressed.