Guns, Germs, and Iron argues that the development of human civilization was determined by geography, not racial differences in ability. Jared Diamond argues that agriculture, domestication, and immunity in Eurasia made the difference between civilizations, and that continental differences in development were the result of technology diffusion and environmental conditions.
Why I read the book
Guns, Germs, and Iron was written by Jared Diamond in 2005, and even though it’s more than a decade old, it’s still the number one borrowed book at Seoul National University’s main library. I don’t usually read books, but I picked up this book because I thought I should try a bestseller.
In the prologue, Jared Diamond begins the story with a conversation with Yali, a friend he met while studying ornithology in Papua New Guinea. Yali asked Diamond, “Why didn’t we black people make such ‘cargo’ like the whites?” a question that asked why hunter-gatherers had gone from living as hunter-gatherers to building civilizations that differed markedly from continent to continent over 13,000 years later. Diamond draws on his extensive academic background in anthropology, ornithology, physiology, and biology to answer this question, and explains that the answer lies not in differences in physical abilities between races, but in the environment. The differences between civilizations are a product of the natural environment, and he analyzed the main causes in three ways. Unlike existing views of civilization development that categorize it according to differences in technology, this book explains civilization development from an evolutionary biological perspective, describing differences in civilization across continents.
Diamond is praised for breaking away from the existing Eurocentric thinking and analyzing the process of technology diffusion and civilization formation without imperialist bias, but there are also those who see it as a theory to emphasize European superiority, so my interest and expectations for this book grew.
Plants: How Differences in Food Production Caused the Civilization Gap
Diamond explains that differences in plant distribution are at the root of the civilization gap. Most of our modern staple crops and livestock originated on the Eurasian continent, which is often referred to as the “Fertile Crescent”. With the emergence of agricultural societies, food production increased to support populations, which led to the creation of non-agricultural populations. These were the “administrators” of the civilization, often involved in religion or politics, and through them, the civilization gradually increased the pace of development. Diamond draws on his interdisciplinary background to analyze the differences in food production across continents, which he links to differences in civilization development.
Animals and Viruses: Weapons of Conquest More Terrifying Than Guns and Swords
Diamond argues that differences in the process of animal domestication also caused differences in food productivity. Humans acquired immunity to infectious diseases from domesticated animals, which proved to be a more effective means of invasion than powerful weapons when Europeans invaded other continents. For example, Native Americans, who had no immunity to infectious diseases, were devastated by the diseases brought by the Spanish conquistadors.
This example raises the question of whether it is a complete analysis to interpret the development of human civilization solely in terms of environmental and biological factors. Diamond’s analysis looks to the environment and conditions to explain why the Spanish invaded the Inca Empire, but the Inca Empire did not invade Spain. He explains that the Inca emperors went unarmed against the Spanish conquistadors because they were unable to recognize the threat of outsiders due to the lack of written records.
This interpretation requires a different perspective: the Incas and Indians at the time were extending favors and promoting goodwill to strangers, while the “conquistadors” slaughtered and enslaved them for their own gain. In modern terms of coexistence and symbiosis, it could be argued that they had a humane and “humane” culture. Historian James Blatt criticizes Diamond’s argument as merely replacing one Eurocentric value with another, and sees it as yet another rationale for maintaining European vested interests.
Topography: the root cause of civilization
Diamond believes that geography has had a decisive impact on the distribution of animals and plants, which has led to differences in the development of civilizations. For example, the Yellow River civilization in China was able to thrive because of its fertile environment. Europe, on the other hand, lagged behind China until the 16th and 17th centuries, when it developed technology, science, and capitalism in a competitive environment.
However, the “principle of optimal division” that explains the differences between China and Europe is at odds with Diamond’s environmental factors. While the author explains that a divided society is more conducive to development than an overly integrated one, even areas without fertile environments, such as the Indus River valley, have prospered due to human pioneering efforts. In other words, humans are affected by their environment, but they have tried to overcome it and build civilizations.
Questions from the book
In the end, Diamond argues that the environment was crucial to the development of civilization, and that “environmental factors” had a greater impact than physical differences between races. According to Diamond’s logic, the reason Europe was more developed than other continents was due to environmental ‘luck’. According to him, the “spread” of technology is just the process of spreading civilization to less developed regions, and wars and genocide can be justified in the process of spreading technology. This could mean that future humans will have to live in a state of insecurity due to war and invasion.
While I agree with Diamond that environmental factors are an important factor in the development of civilization, I think there are limitations to simply explaining human development in terms of environmental factors and guns, bacteria, and iron. Human civilization is also influenced by cultural and genetic differences, and another book, Clocks and Civilization, reflects this view, interpreting it as differences in access to technology. I believe that the development of civilization cannot be measured simply in terms of guns, bacteria, and iron.
