Guns, germs, and steel by jared diamond is a nonfiction book that explores why some societies are more materially successful than others farming and domesticating. The fates of human societies is a 1997 transdisciplinary nonfiction book by jared diamond, professor of geography and physiology at. Why didnt the chinese, or the inca, become masters of the globe instead. Should i read jared diamonds guns, germs and steel, or watch the. The differences in technology and advances differing between other countries. The fates of human societies has had the kind of impact that most scholarly authors can only dream about for their works. Guns, germs, and steel documentary jared diamond youtube. Guns, germs and steel lays a foundation for understanding human history, which makes it fascinating in its own right.
Based on jared diamonds pulitzer prizewinning book of the same name, guns, germs and steel traces humanitys journey over the last,000 years from the dawn of farming at the end of the. C, geography on the polynesian islands, and more importantly what happened in cajamarca to the inca emperor atahuallpa when he was captured by the spaniards. The fates of human societies is a 1997 transdisciplinary nonfiction book by jared diamond. The fates of human societies is a 1997 nonfiction book by jared diamond. Mcneill identifies two contrasting approaches to history. Guns, germs, and steel was a great read and im glad i invested the time. Guns, germs, and steel study guide contains a biography of jared diamond, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis of huck finn.
Should i read jared diamonds guns, germs and steel, or. Based on the pulitzer prizewinning book and national best seller, guns, germs, and steel is an epic detective story that offers a gripping expose on why the world is so unequal. This is my book summary of guns, germs, and steel by jared diamond. A pbs documentary concerning jared diamonds theory on why there is such disparity between those who have advanced technology and those who still live primitively. Guns, germs and steel, a threehour spectacular produced by national geographic. Guns, germs, and steel termwiki, millions of terms. But if you have any interest in understanding how the world came to be as it is, youll find this book highly rewarding. The fates of human societies by jared diamond guns, germs and steel documentary audio tts library guns, germs and steel and a ploughmans lunch science book. In the book guns, germs, and steel by jared diamond, part one talks about what happened on the continents before 11,000 b. The documentary really only focuses on a tiny fraction of the book and lacks the background and nuance. Its like asking whether one should read all three lord of. It became a bestseller, and in 2005 it received a documentary mini series produced by the national geographic channel. Pbs will be running a documentary based on jared diamonds classic guns, germs, and steel on monday, july 11. Please confirm that thinktvnetwork is your preferred local station, or choose another station below.
Having read both, i would say that they are not interchangeable at all. Guns, germs and steel jared diamond 2005 episode 1. This is a list of authors, books, and concepts mentioned in guns. Professor jared diamond traveled the globe for over 30 years trying to answer the biggest question of world history. In the last,000 years or so, human history has proceeded in many different directions. In guns, germs, and steel jared diamond presents the biologists answer. Pulitzer prizewinning book of the same name, guns, germs and steel traces. African history disproves guns germs and steel by jared. At the moment i am about 23 of the way through jared diamonds book guns, germs, and steel. Its like asking whether one should read all three lord of the rings books or watch the battle of helms deep from the two towers.
Guns, germs, and steel is crammed with facts and densely written. This is one of those books that takes you a while to read its pretty heavy nonfiction and yet at the end of it, you feel like hippocrates, a muslim scientist, or leonardo da vinci must have felt at the realization of a great discovery. Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from wikipedia or other free sources online. They have different aims ggs to explain why western civilization is on top at the moment, sapiens to explain how we ended up with homo sapiens rather than any of the other h. The book begins with a preface in which diamond claims that the main purpose of his text is to explain why different countries developed in different manners. In particular, steel has governed the destiny of ambitious europeans. In guns, germs, and steel, jared diamond outlines the theory of geographic determinism, the idea that the differences between societies and societal development arise primarily from geographical causes. The fates of human societies is a 1997 book by jared diamond, professor of geography and physiology at.
My notes are informal and often contain quotes from the book as well as my own thoughts. Like most documentaries, guns, germs, and steal is for entertainment. It is a very successful nonracist whirlwind tour of human history. The documentary covers the theories in the book on why a disparity between. Jared diamonds guns germs and steel jared diamond, guns germs. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in guns, germs, and steel, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Based on jared diamonds pulitzer prizewinning book of the same name, guns, germs and steel traces humanitys journey over the last,000 years from the dawn of farming at the end of the last ice age to the realities of life in the twentyfirst century.
Guns, germs, and steel no scientist brings more experience from the laboratory and field, none thinks more deeply about social issues or addresses them with greater clar ity, than jared diamond as illustrated by guns, germs, and steel. This summary also includes key lessons and important passages from the book. On the morning of november 16, 1532, a surprise charge of just 37 spanish horses, concealed in the inca town of cajamarca, unleashed an orgy of bloodshed. After warmly praising my book guns, germs, and steel. Guns, germs, and steel 1997 his second and best known popular science book, guns, germs, and steel. Im always surprised when people casually dismiss it based on a perceived inaccuracy. Guns, germs, and steel reconsidered inside higher ed. He argues it is due to the acquisition of guns and steel and the changes brought about by germs. The conquistadors who swept through the new world were armed with steel swords forged in the spanish city of toledo. The fates of human societies by jared diamond online at alibris. A documentary based on the book, and produced by the national geographic society, was broadcast on pbs in july 2005. Guns, germs, and steel 2003 this 3part pbsnational geographic.
Read his book, guns, germs, and steel, for detailed or missing information in this. Youll see his argument all over the place, including a natgeo documentary. National geographic guns germs and steel 1 of 3 official youtube. He firmly rejects racist notions of natural or cultural superiority or inferiority, instead. The fates of human societies as artful, informative, and delightful nyr, may 15, the distinguished historian william h. A documentary based on the book, and produced by the national geographic. Jared diamond, the author of the book, has spent most of his career trying to understand why different human. The book is framed as a response to a question that diamond heard from yali, a charismatic new guinean politician. In this remarkably readable book he shows how history and biology can enrich.
The great thing about guns, germs and steel is the detail. Jared diamond starts with a proposition every good guardian reader would wish to believe. Throughout the book historical and geographical roots of global inequality and resource distribution is explored. In 1998, it won the pulitzer prize for general nonfiction and the aventis prize for best science book. Because it brilliantly describes how chance advantages can lead to early. Guns, germs, and steel, by jared diamond new york times. Guns, germs, and steel essay the historical book gun, germs, and steel written by jared diamond explains a variety of different themes as to why the world came to be as it is today. Guns, germs and steel is a landmark pulitzer prize winning book by jared diamond published in 1997. Guns, germs and steel 2005 starring peter coyote and jared diamond on dvd and bluray. Our first task was to figure out which elements of jareds book would form the. I was a big fan of the book and i think the film version does it justice. Those differences in historical development eventually led to the guns, germs, and steel that made eurasian dominance possibleand dictated the huge differences in economic development between what today we call east and west.
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