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kaiare's review against another edition
3.5
That was an absolute fucking slog. Analyses past and current societies and actions that lead to their downfall; specifically environmental causes. It is very insightful, but long. At times, I could tell it was written by a privileged white man, however overall his insights were great.
fractaltexan's review against another edition
4.0
As usual, Jared Diamond does a great job at showcasing his thesis. In this book, Diamond showcases how societies choose to fail or succeed in surviving. By offering examples ranging from modern Montana to societal collapses such as Easter Island, he showcases the variety of ways in which societies either choose to succeed given the limitations placed upon them by nature, or fail as they exceed what they can feasibly do.
timburbage's review against another edition
1.0
Could not get into this book at all, and caused me to have a major reading slump. It is an interesting topic that is made so dry, with the same points being made over and over and over and over again.
antony_monir's review against another edition
3.0
Collapse is a book on ecology and agriculture masquerading as a history book. There is some history but the main focus is anthropological in nature. This is not a bad thing, however, since the book is full of information about various societies and the reasons behind their collapse. While critics of this book talk of "environmental determinism" I do not think Jared Diamond is actually advocating for that. It is true that his main thesis is overstated but it still is mostly valid. I don't think anyone can deny the importance of the environment on people's activities and behavior which is why I think the main criticism for this book should focus on the ideas that Diamond defends. In the early chapters of the book which focus mainly on ancient societies, Diamond says that sometimes people need to change their values in order to adapt and survive. Yet, he fails to recognize how the value we place on "profit" and capitalism is leading to environmental degradation. Diamond practically undermines his own point by being too focused on his values to recognize the flaws in our current system. I am not saying we need to start a communist revolution but it is important to recgonize the flaws in our systems so we can avoid the fate that befell all those societies that were described in the book. As Diamond says, we have the power to change things for the better. We are not just the product of our environment, we also have the potential to change it. Final rating: 3/5 (minus 1 point for a weird statement comparing chinese immigrants to exported pests from China)
basedgoth's review against another edition
4.0
heavily detailed book not suitable for light reading, Diamond put a lot of work into this book. almost the kind of detail you need to write papers. not much emphasis put on the “cautious optimism” standpoint he takes at the end, but i suppose the book was about collapse of societies specifically and not a how-to guide on solving these issues.
side note: I FINALLY FINISHED THIS BOOK AFTER STARTING IT 9 YRS AGO PICKING IT UP IN A BOOKSTORE IN MELBOURNE!!!!
side note: I FINALLY FINISHED THIS BOOK AFTER STARTING IT 9 YRS AGO PICKING IT UP IN A BOOKSTORE IN MELBOURNE!!!!
lauren708's review against another edition
4.0
A fascinating read--this book has an immense amount of information and analysis. Diamond does a great job of bringing the reader back to the thesis and his main points even while talking about ancient civilizations. A must read for citizens of Earth, honestly. I admit I did not end with the hope that he had 15 years ago.
erikars's review against another edition
4.0
What factors lead a society to collapse? Diamond explores this question in Collapse. A collapsed society, in this context, is one where the human population disappears or decreases dramatically within a region. Thus, for the purposes of this book, a society conquered in war but with the population largely intact is not a collapse and a society where everyone chooses to leave a region is.
So what causes societies to collapse? There are many factors, and Diamond, in his signature stories, weaves those factors into an entertaining fabric that mixes principles with illustrating examples. The commonality in these stories are societies that grow their resource use to the point where they reach the sustainable capacity of their environment. The collapse occurs when something happens, e.g., the society continues to increase usage beyond the limits of sustainability or something (like a long drought) happens to decrease the environmental capacity. The details are more interesting than the conclus
Failures teach us many lessons, and so do successes. After outlining the factors that contribute to the failures of many societies, Diamond talks about the factors which help societies survive the factors which lead to collapse. Between these two viewpoints, we learn that we are not that different from earlier societies. We face some new challenges, but it's largely the same: interconnected societies in delicate environments depleting their forests and soil and dealing with climate changes. Not all difficulties of the past led to collapse, so we should feel hopeful that if we face our choices strength, we can once again survive these challenges.
So what causes societies to collapse? There are many factors, and Diamond, in his signature stories, weaves those factors into an entertaining fabric that mixes principles with illustrating examples. The commonality in these stories are societies that grow their resource use to the point where they reach the sustainable capacity of their environment. The collapse occurs when something happens, e.g., the society continues to increase usage beyond the limits of sustainability or something (like a long drought) happens to decrease the environmental capacity. The details are more interesting than the conclus
Failures teach us many lessons, and so do successes. After outlining the factors that contribute to the failures of many societies, Diamond talks about the factors which help societies survive the factors which lead to collapse. Between these two viewpoints, we learn that we are not that different from earlier societies. We face some new challenges, but it's largely the same: interconnected societies in delicate environments depleting their forests and soil and dealing with climate changes. Not all difficulties of the past led to collapse, so we should feel hopeful that if we face our choices strength, we can once again survive these challenges.
matthewabush's review against another edition
4.0
I find books by Diamond to be a fun read and you usually learn something too. Collapse was good, but Guns, Germs, and Steel was better.