Discussion:

"Why Did Human History Unfold Differently On Different Continents for the Last 13,000 Years?" by Jared Diamond

Diamond's major themes and key points were the factual reasons for differences in human development across the globe. Namely, Diamond discusses geographic and climactic differences on various continents, and the ways in which these pertain to the discrepancy in societal development on these respective continents. The areas of focus are early societies in Eurasia, the Americas, Africa, and Australia. The title of the article sums up the central point of the discussion; Diamond offers several possible answers to the question such as domestication ability, climate, land area/size, and disease spread, among others. We learn that the cause of differences in development patterns of societies worldwide was not difference in ability or IQ as it applies to race/ethnicity, but rather the unavoidable differences in the world's geography and environments. We see that humans have always tried to make the best of the environment/tools they were given, even though some were more challenging than others.

According to Diamond, the most important factor in determining a society's success is their location. If the location is rich with plants and animals, and has a climate which allows these to be domesticated, any society living there will be at an advantage. Domesticated plants and animals provide a reliable source of food, and large animals can help with tasks such as transportation and farm work. Diamond also discusses the fact that size and positioning of land is also important in determining success. Humans are social beings and accomplish more with teamwork than individually. If a society's location is on a large landmass, where it can connect with other communities, it will foster faster growth than an isolated society on, for example, a small island. Additionally, if the land is oriented east-to-west, the climate is likely to be relatively stable throughout, since climate changes are more dramatic latitudinally. Land which runs north-south is likely to have very different climactic regions which does not allow for much movement of plants and animals, since they require long-term adaptation to new environments.

The above ideas are reflected in today's economy as we notice the differences in developed vs. developing countries. Almost all developed countries are inhabited by people of Eurasian descent; this is due to the Eurasian continent having all of the aforementioned beneficial land characteristics. The primitive societies in Europe and Asia were well-equipped with a large, laterally-oriented continent, a temperate and steady climate, and wildlife which lent itself to domestication. Most developing countries are in places such as Africa and South America, which were not so predisposed to the development of human societies. Other lands which had unfortunate geography for societal growth (North America, Australia) most likely would contain similar developing societies had they not been dominated by our Eurasian ancestors long ago. The native peoples of these two continents have been almost completely eradicated, and the lands have been taken over by people who were farther advanced due to their fortunate starting locations.