Jared Diamonds Views on Environmental Determinism Essay

Many geographers have attempted creating a unified theory explaining why cultures advance much more readily than others. Very few have actually reached mainstream society and even fewer seem reasonable. However, Jared Diamond shines where most do not. His book, Guns, Germs, and Steel, proposes an idea that has long been established called environmental determinism. Most view environmental determinism as a racist theory attributing a peoples’ intelligence only to their oppressive climates and geographical barriers. Diamond instead has created a theory that applies environmental determinism to only a peoples’ technology—not the people themselves. This has given researchers valuable tools that allow them to explain why some nations have†¦show more content†¦The spreading of horses additionally explains how the United States conquered what it did. The New World possessed no horses until the arrival of Europeans, creating an inability to travel, fight, or hunt as efficiently as Europeans before the late 17th century (Diamond 164). Had tribes like the Sioux acquired horses earlier, they may have developed more rapidly and had a better chance thwarting enemy Americans. Nevertheless, because the east-west axis favored the United States both in Eurasia and the New World, the consequences permitted ascension to a world power. While a landmass’s orientation determines its basic resources and geographical advantages, the large societies that this constructs produce the technology. Diamond surmises that increased food production leads to populous nations. He notes that, â€Å"more consumable calories means more people† (Diamond 87). Because the United States obtains food though both trade and agriculture, it has always had an excellent chance to become large and urban. The larger civilization, the easier conquest becomes. In his chapter titled How China Became Chinese, Jared Diamond explains that China has, â€Å"st eamrolled,† neighboring nations so often because they had a, â€Å"head start in food production† (Diamond 332). The United States subjugated their Native American neighbors using the same assets—both livestock and plants. These large societies have always required a government andShow MoreRelatedGuns Germs and Steel Chapter Summary2530 Words   |  11 PagesPrologue: Yali’s Question Jared Diamond has done extensive field work in New Guinea.   His indigenous New Guinean politician friend Yali asked why whites had been so successful and arrived with so much cargo compared to the locals.   Diamond rephrases this question: why did white Eurasians dominate over other cultures by means of superior guns, population-destroying germs, steel, and food-producing capability?   Diamond’s main thesis is that this occurred not because of racial differences in intelligence