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mildo's review against another edition
5.0
The best book in the genre of pop-science I've read so far. The book is packed full of interesting historical facts and reasons why history of humanity in different geographical regions unraveled the way it did. The described history spans since our first ancestors - hunters/gatherers, up to the current political and economical state of the world.
The only gripe with the arguments provided in the book I have (but I, as an laic in the subject, am not able to disprove it) is that it seems that the author sometimes cherry-picks geographic places or historical events that fit into his narrative and argumentation, while choosing other ones could potentially break some of his theories apart.
The only gripe with the arguments provided in the book I have (but I, as an laic in the subject, am not able to disprove it) is that it seems that the author sometimes cherry-picks geographic places or historical events that fit into his narrative and argumentation, while choosing other ones could potentially break some of his theories apart.
amandat's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
2.0
I think I missed something : there was very little about guns, germs or steel. But a lot about the domestication of animals and farming. Guess I wasn't paying as much attention to it that I thought I was.
krichardson's review against another edition
4.0
I understand that environmental determinism is very controversial, but if we start from the assumption that no group of people is inherently more intelligent/inventive/evil/etc. than any other, then this is the best explanation I have encountered on how we got here. By no means is the argument he laid out a science as he claims, but it works as an interesting theory that new evidence can be compared against. Perhaps combined reading with [b:The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity|56269264|The Dawn of Everything A New History of Humanity|David Graeber|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1617072525l/56269264._SX50_.jpg|87659801] for the earliest history.
jtduncan16's review against another edition
3.0
I was supposed to read this book when I was in high school; I’ll admit, I never did. Furthermore, I read it shortly after wrapping up the more recently published “Sapiens.” Both books attempt to explain why some cultures seem to have outstripped others in the race to the top – though what exactly the top is not totally clear.
This is a dense book. While it is a history of nearly everything in a fairly compact volume, one does not breeze through it. I enjoyed the comparative nature of the approach and did learn quite a lot about the factors that influenced the progression of human societies across the globe. The author makes a strong and compelling point that today’s differences in cultures can be boiled down to initial conditions almost exclusively based on geography. While this does not seem like a world changing conclusion, it does effectively dispel any racist ideologies about why one culture is superior to another.
I like to think that 2018 is a higher-minded time than 1995, when this was originally published – but there is certainly a lot of evidence to suggest we have moved backwards in a number of ways. As an academic, his research focused on New Guinea--someplace I know effectively nothing about--which at times I found going a little too deep into the weeds. I enjoyed the journey from the dawn of humanity, but about half way through I was ready to put it down.
This is a dense book. While it is a history of nearly everything in a fairly compact volume, one does not breeze through it. I enjoyed the comparative nature of the approach and did learn quite a lot about the factors that influenced the progression of human societies across the globe. The author makes a strong and compelling point that today’s differences in cultures can be boiled down to initial conditions almost exclusively based on geography. While this does not seem like a world changing conclusion, it does effectively dispel any racist ideologies about why one culture is superior to another.
I like to think that 2018 is a higher-minded time than 1995, when this was originally published – but there is certainly a lot of evidence to suggest we have moved backwards in a number of ways. As an academic, his research focused on New Guinea--someplace I know effectively nothing about--which at times I found going a little too deep into the weeds. I enjoyed the journey from the dawn of humanity, but about half way through I was ready to put it down.
lakmus's review against another edition
3.0
Upsides: cool idea, interesting arguments in support of the idea.
Downsides: a tad repetitive.
I am sure that more detailed books and papers exist that add lots more nuance to the basic argument (cultural evolution is constrained by ecological and geographical environments), and that the interpretation of actual data we have is much more complicated, but the idea itself is neat (although pretty straightforward, it seems to me).
Downsides: a tad repetitive.
I am sure that more detailed books and papers exist that add lots more nuance to the basic argument (cultural evolution is constrained by ecological and geographical environments), and that the interpretation of actual data we have is much more complicated, but the idea itself is neat (although pretty straightforward, it seems to me).