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A review by ericderoulet
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond
informative
reflective
5.0
I know Guns, Germs, and Steel is not a favorite among anthropologists and other subject matter experts. Ambitions to devise a grand theory of history inevitably fall through, or at least prove to have lots of holes in them, simply because the structural factors and idiosyncrasies shaping history elude any single, sweeping explanation.
That being said, for general audiences, this is an important historical and scientific corrective that uses reasonably compelling evidence to push back against popular explanations for the course of history that are rooted in Western exceptionalism and scientific racism. It's important for one with even an amateur interest in history to understand just how drastically societies and their development are impacted by geography, natural history, and the like. Environmental factors do not by themselves explain the course of history, either, but Diamond's focus on these factors counterbalances narratives of history as a series of individual achievements or as one "civilization" asserting its superiority over others. Guns, Germs, and Steel is not a comprehensive work for an expert audience—that's hardly possible for a single book, given that scientific articles on niche topics can exceed 10,000 words in length—but Diamond has done important work in making the general public a little better informed about history and prehistory.
That being said, for general audiences, this is an important historical and scientific corrective that uses reasonably compelling evidence to push back against popular explanations for the course of history that are rooted in Western exceptionalism and scientific racism. It's important for one with even an amateur interest in history to understand just how drastically societies and their development are impacted by geography, natural history, and the like. Environmental factors do not by themselves explain the course of history, either, but Diamond's focus on these factors counterbalances narratives of history as a series of individual achievements or as one "civilization" asserting its superiority over others. Guns, Germs, and Steel is not a comprehensive work for an expert audience—that's hardly possible for a single book, given that scientific articles on niche topics can exceed 10,000 words in length—but Diamond has done important work in making the general public a little better informed about history and prehistory.