Read :
Diamond, Guns, Germs & Steel: the Fate of Human Societies, 1-66; 405-425; 450-464
Inside Higher Education, Guns, Germs & Steel Reconsidered
William McNeil, The World of Jared Diamond
Tomlinson, A Review of Guns, Germs & Steel
Answer all of the following:
- William McNeil says that “Diamond’s argument exceeds its limits.” What does he mean? What are McNeill’s objections to GGS? Do you share McNeil’s reservations or
consider them nitpicking?
- What is Yali’s question? Is it the right question, the most important question? Or is it, as anthropologists have suggested, a question that Diamond misunderstands
or, as historians have commented a question which needs to be historicized (that is related to the context in which it arose, the twenty-first century)?
- All of Diamond’s critics accuse him of “determinism.” What elements in Diamond’s argument are “deterministic?” Be specific and provide examples.
- Guns, Germs & Steel has been wildly popular. College students have claimed it was their favorite reading their freshmen year. People as diverse as Bill Clinton,
Bill Gates and George Romney are fans. A video version played on the Public Broadcasting Station to large audiences. In academic circles, GSS has not been well
received. But people love it. Why?
Sample Solution
