Guns, Germs, and Steel Summary

Guns, Germs, And Steel

Summary of Author's Thesis

The author's main thesis is that the substantial differences in the development of various societies and peoples throughout the history of mankind is largely a function of natural phenomena such as climate and the availability of particular kinds of plant and animal resources in specific geographic regions. According to Diamond, his research expressly refutes the beliefs, (particularly popular during the European colonial and imperial age) that the very different levels of societal development and sophistication are attributable to inherent differences between people in general or to the supposed intellectual superiority of Europeans over nomadic "bush people" in particular. The author acknowledges that superior technology such as metallurgy (especially in connection with weapons and seagoing transportation) allowed the European explorers to quickly subdue and dominate the peoples of foreign lands. However, he regards those factors as merely the result of more fundamental differences, such as the comparative ease or difficulty of growing edible crops and domesticating indigenous animal species.

Structure Summary

The author provides separate outlines of the major factors that, according to him, are responsible for the different development rates of various societies by virtue of their natural region. He traces the earliest history of Homo sapiens, the connection between natural plant and animal resources and societal development, and the specific ways that abundance and shortage of various types of crops and animal species contributed to the direction and rate of the growth of human societies in different geographical regions. Diamond also traces the way epidemic diseases developed and influenced societies and their interrelations that lead to the dominance of some by others, also for reasons having more to do with biology and immunology than intellectual (or other) superiority.

Strengths of Author's Argument

On their face, the author's main arguments seem to make sense. The way different societies developed depended largely on the natural resources available to them. Greater resources led to larger and more complex societies that both permitted and promoted subsequent technological development and advancement. By the time Western societies encountered and dominated tropical societies, the means through which they did so were result of earlier (natural) causes rather than the result of inherent differences in ability.

Weakness of Author's Argument

Frankly, it is difficult to critically assess the writing and argument of a writer who is profoundly more qualified in his area of professional expertise than this reviewer. Nevertheless, his characterization of tropical native hunter-gatherers as being more intelligent (because of natural selection) than Western people seems tenuous and speculative, unlike the rest of his arguments that are based on objective evidence and reasonable inferences.

Contribution to World History