Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond - Essay Example

Logically, Diamond’s contention is predominantly based on his argument that Eurasian civilization is more of an upshot of opportunity and need, and not of cleverness or ingenuity. He argues that civilization is not derived from exceptional intelligence but crops up as a result of a series of growth and progress, both politically and economically, which are caused by some requirements or preconditions. Consistent with Diamond’s argument, the colonization of Africa by the Europeans can be attributed to “accidents of geography and biogeography – in particular, to the continents’ different areas, axes, and suites of wild plant and animal species.

That is, the different historical trajectories of Africa and Europe stem ultimately from differences in real estate” (401). While it is substantial that Diamond places much more stress and importance on the role of geography in the expansive scope of the history of civilizations, his confined and contracted description of geography may present a concern towards the readers. Geography covers the sphere of humanities and the social sciences. It does not merely take in purely geographical thoughts but also, it encompasses other related fields of study, especially in its investigation and description of the relationship between societies and the environment.

Providing explanation for the disparities in wealth, control, and authority among world civilizations and diverse communities over time must take into consideration the social, economic, and geopolitical links, together with their connections to environmental traits and environmental change, in an effort to connect international, district and local levels of analysis. These descriptions must also take the impact of human thoughts and imagination, as well as the socio-cultural procedures in forming the geographical and environmental backdrop.

In an attempt to take a broad view on what Diamond wants to convey to his readers, the settlers of the Eurasian region have come up with an intricate, complex, expert, and technologically advanced communities than any other civilizations during the time. This enormous advancement can be attributed to Eurasia’s obtainment of huge landmass, and because it was leaning on a, by and large, east-west alignment. Also, the time and environmental progression has endowed the place with a large number of animals and plants, and the land was likewise perfect for the domestication of animals as well as for agriculture.

Diamond also contends about the proximate and ultimate reasons why the Eurasian region has gained wealth and power more than any other civilizations on the planet during the time. Diamond considers environmental factors as the ultimate reasons for this Eurasians rapid and widespread progression: (1) the location of the continental landmasses; (2) their point of reference or compass reading, which is aligned at the north-south and east-west orientations; (3) the large number of animals, plants and vegetation that grows naturally in the region, which makes the Eurasian region perfect for agriculture and domestication of farm animals.

We can see the there is an expected economic surge within the region considering the healthy agricultural conditions that the region had during