ANT201

Intro to Cultural Anthropology

Scott Swan
FINAL VA-LIMON

In his book "Guns, Germs, and Steel," Jared Diamond investigates the reasons why

Europeans were able to dominate the world over the past 500 years. According to Diamond,

the answer lies in environmental differences between regions where people live, rather

than biological differences between Europeans and other peoples. Diamond argues that the

"road to inequality" began around 10,000 years ago when humans transitioned from

hunting and gathering to farming. This allowed people to produce surplus food, which in

turn led to an increase in population and the development of cities. Eurasia, in particular,

had several factors that allowed them to make the transition to farming, including a large

number of domesticable animals and access to several crops that could be grown in the

same region. The domestication of animals also led to the spread of diseases, which

ultimately played a role in the dominance of Europe. Living in close proximity to animals led

to the development of specific diseases, but over time, people from Eurasia developed

immunity to these diseases, which allowed them to spread them to other parts of the world.

The east to west orientation of Europe and Asia in terms of latitude also played a role in the

spread of diseases and the number and variety of plants and animals that could be

domesticated. The increase in population and development of cities in Eurasia led to

specialized skills and technological advancements, which ultimately allowed them to

dominate other parts of the world. Overall, Diamond's argument is that the success of

Europeans in dominating the world was not due to any inherent biological differences

between Europeans and other peoples, but rather to a combination of environmental

factors, including the availability of domesticable animals and crops, and the spread of

disease.