have just seen the 3 part PBS documentary.
very important for me personally to understand the geographic conditions which through out history have given europeans their advantage over the civilizations that they conquered. conditions such as the best crops and farm animals existing in, or brought to their land, enabling much more efficient agriculture, wealth, and for them to advance technologically compared to other places; the similar latitudes of vast regions with similar climates which enabled cross fertilisation of culture, which the great Azetec and Mayan civilizations of N. America did not have; etc., etc.
certainly cleared up some questions I had concerning the inequalities existing in the world. I knew it not to be the case, and now there are some explanations... but is it me or do many in the world still overtly or subtly hold the belief that european conquest is a result of their particular ingenuity, bravery, and indeed, racial superiority over native populations in North and South America and Africa?
also, others who know much more about Jarred Diamond and his work, are there issues over which other archeologists disagree? are there alternative, academic or otherwise, positions which are atleast partialy opposed to this one?
very important for me personally to understand the geographic conditions which through out history have given europeans their advantage over the civilizations that they conquered. conditions such as the best crops and farm animals existing in, or brought to their land, enabling much more efficient agriculture, wealth, and for them to advance technologically compared to other places; the similar latitudes of vast regions with similar climates which enabled cross fertilisation of culture, which the great Azetec and Mayan civilizations of N. America did not have; etc., etc.
certainly cleared up some questions I had concerning the inequalities existing in the world. I knew it not to be the case, and now there are some explanations... but is it me or do many in the world still overtly or subtly hold the belief that european conquest is a result of their particular ingenuity, bravery, and indeed, racial superiority over native populations in North and South America and Africa?
also, others who know much more about Jarred Diamond and his work, are there issues over which other archeologists disagree? are there alternative, academic or otherwise, positions which are atleast partialy opposed to this one?