- ISBN13: 9780393061314
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
With a new chapter. The phenomenal bestseller—over 1.5 million copies sold—is now a major PBS special. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Guns, Germs, and Steel is a brilliant work answering the question of why the peoples of certain continents succeeded in invading other continents and conquering or displacing their peoples. This edition includes a new chapter on Japan and all-new illustrations drawn from the television series. 32 illustrations.Amazon.com Review
Explaining what William McNeill called The Rise of the West has become the central problem in the study of global history. In Guns, Germs, and Steel Jared Diamond presents the biologist’s answer: geography, demography, and ecologi… More >>
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
The premise of “Guns, Germs, and Steel” is flawed, as anyone truly familiar with world history will immediately recognize. Diamond’s unquestioned axiom is that white Europeans developed more advanced civilization and technology than the “inferior” peoples of color. But this is a white supremacist assumption…
Don’t be fooled, Sons and Daughters of Ethiopia, Mother of Civilization: “Guns, Germs, and Steel” is a work based on the theory of white supremacy… Rating: 1 / 5
OK Diamond has thought out his innovative theory and produced a rather serious book. But it is very clear to me that he completely fails in explaning “the fate of human societies”. Many previous reviewers have already mentionned many important factors (culture, religion, etc.) he did not (or hardly) bother to consider, so I do not need to rehash this. I will however mention a very important factor that has not been so much mentionned in other reviews: the genetic, racial factor. For this I refer to Levin’s book Why Race Matters (and alternatively to Duke’s My Awakening. Duke is less scientific, but is book is cheaper and easier.)
Another aspect of the book, and the most disturbing for me, is that he chides the West and praises the alleged superiority of the aboriginal people (which Darwin used to call a “savage race.”) But I will simply expose the falsity of his beliefs on this issue by pointing at Diamond’s own life and at the migration flows. If the aboriginal civilization is superior, why didn’t Diamond stay with them, why did he move back to the West? Because the West is far more superior. How is it that no westerners wants to emigrate to underdevelopped countries, but that the contrary is true? I think it clear that Diamond is wrong, but if he was right I know a nice job for him: let him work for the anti-immigration administration, and convince all those who came from the third world to go back to their countries, and let him preach to the people in the third world that they are better off than we are, and should not try to emigrate. But I doubt he would have much success. Rating: 1 / 5
Seven long years I waited to own this book. Countless trips to Borders, Barnes & Nobles, or surfing Amazon never produced a purchase. It always somehow lost out to another book, some of which was garbage.
Then, one warm September evening, I boldly marched into a Borders and made that fateful purchase. I was elated. After so many years I would at last read this book which had once upon a time been so highly recommended to me by a professor.
The next day I set forth from my house, eager to sit outside, enjoy the nice day, and read my newly acquired book. I decided to go to City Hall and pay a bill. While there, I ran into the Fire Chief, who invited me to see our new power generator in the Fire House. I set the book upon a bench and accompanied him. I never saw it again.
Seven years I waited to read that book. In the blink of an eye it was gone. At this point, I can only assume some universal conspiracy against my reading it.
Disappointing really. Hopefully I’ll come into possession of another copy someday! Rating: 5 / 5
I read half of the first chapter then sent the book for refund. I was never so insulted in my life. Rating: 1 / 5
Okay, so I was asked by my teacher to write a review on Guns, Germs and Steel. It is a pretty decent book and not very hard to read. While I have yet to get all of the way through it, Diamond raises some very thought provoking questions. i would recommend this book for and anthropology student!:) Rating: 3 / 5