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Title: The Challenge of Crafting a Thesis: Navigating Jared Diamond's "Collapse"

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At the end, he also talks about some present-day cases where we still don't know what will happen.
Naturally, additional factors contributed to history's diverse courses in different parts of Eurasia.
First Edition. What can we learn from traditional societies. Instead of cutting down their trees, they
farm trees: nearly every tree in the Tikopian rainforest is cultivated for its nuts or fruit. Similar
problems face us today and have already brought disaster to Rwanda and Haiti, even as China and
Australia are trying to cope in innovative ways. That's the unmet challenge of the environmental
movement, the one this and most books on the subject dodge. His affection for the Bitterroot Valley
is understandable, but its problems are nowhere near as engrossing and dramatic as those that follow,
and the relevance of a struggling rural community tucked deep inside the world’s wealthiest nation
makes it hard to understand its relevance. Diamond says that every single archaeologist who's
studied the settlement starts off convinced that there must have been some kind of mistake. Europe's
two biggest rivers, the Rhine and Danube, are smaller and connect much less of Europe. I’m alright
Jack. Which is why, depending on one’s point of view, the more interesting chapter in this book is 14
Why Do Some Societies Make Disastrous Decisions. Tony Abbott is really doing everything he can
to consolidate his position as the new Dubya. As a result, in the very long run, technology may have
developed most rapidly in regions with moderate connectedness, neither too high nor too low.
Neither left-wing nor right-wing politicians dare oppose them. Minus 2 for farcical political economy
in the second half. They had used the wood to build canoes, to haul and raise the famous statues,
and they simply burned wood for fuel. But the powerful coal lobby hates the idea, and has blocked
it at every turn. I think that's what makes his books so difficult to read. Can a billion Chinese enjoy
U.S.-type prosperity without sending the global ecology into a tailspin. With lessons from the Norse
of Iron Age Greenland, deforested Easter Island and present-day Montana, Jared Diamond talks
about the signs that collapse is near, and how -- if we see it in time -- we can prevent it. At that point
tech can maybe help minimize issues but it is hard (impossible?) if damage is too great the unleashed
cascade will shudder throughout the systems. Good luck putting the genie back in the bottle, some
changes are irrevocable (6th extinction underway is a good example, even the destruction of what
can seem an innocuous tiny microorgamisn can completely change the ecosystem with implications
for species in that system). Clear warnings of climate catastrophe went ignored for decades, leading
to soaring temperatures, rising sea levels, widespread drought, and the disaster now known as the
Great Collapse of 2093. I would and will recommend this book to anyone with a mild interest in the
survival of humanity. But his examples leave out the sites of history's greatest environmental
collapses and challenges, across North Africa and the Middle East. Perhaps in anger at the gods,
perhaps in revolt against their chiefs, the survivors toppled every one of the statues. Now, in the final
audiobook in this monumental trilogy, he reveals how successful nations recover from crisis through
selective change - a coping mechanism more commonly associated with personal trauma. Foundation
Fellowship (a 'genius award'), and the Pulitzer Prize. China's relative isolation is especially relevant
to its adoption and then rejection of technologies, so reminiscent of the rejections on Tasmania and
other islands. Diamond writes that he is hopeful that correct decisions will be made with pressure
from the public in general and gives many reasons as to why this has been successful. The colony
survived for several hundred years, and was then wiped out to the last man by worsening weather
and the decline in the European market for narwhale ivory. For whatever reason, they would not
make use of this plentiful natural resource, which could easily have saved them; they perished
instead.
Therefore, we use a set of 20 qualities to characterize each book by its strengths. For instance in the
collapse of the Soviet Union and the destruction of Carthage by Rome in 146 BC, it was military or
economic factors alone that were responsible. No politician can gather support, so every stakeholder
is stuck. Yet for nearly all of its six million years of existence, human society had none of these
things. Other isolated island states, such as Easter Island and other ghost islands, have been caught
in the throes of social degeneration and driven to self-destruction by meaningless, prestigious or
religiously driven construction projects, civil wars, exploitation of natural resources to the collapse of
the ecosystem, or a bit of this and that mixed up together. Now in this brilliant companion volume,
Diamond probes the other side of the equation: What caused some of the great civilizations of the
past to collapse into ruin, and what can we learn from their fates. But pigs cannot plow farm lands,
and by the time the Europeans arrived at Papua New Guinea at the 20th century, New Guinean
farming depended on their hands ( diamond, 2005, 1). I’m glad he hates this because I hate it, it
really drives me bonkers, the use of this concept is a great way to sidestep any responsibility or
accountability for present actions and greenlights continuation of pernicious status quo. It was as
though he were steadily getting more forceful in speaking, then ended for the day and resumed in a
milder voice the next day. Some of them will be difficult to fix even if we decide to do everything
possible today. Yet humans are the dominant species on the planet - having founded civilizations and
religions, developed intricate and diverse forms of communication, learned science, built cities, and
created breathtaking works of art - while chimps remain animals concerned primarily with the basic
necessities of survival. He mainly covers places where he has both personal experience and great
background knowledge. Dramatizing science in ways traditional nonfiction cannot, The Collapse of
Western Civilization reasserts the importance of scientists and the work they do, providing a
welcome moment of clarity amid the cacophony of climate-change literature. Emigration now
relieves population pressure and allows Tikopia to maintain the same population size it has had
throughout its known history. These comparisons suggest that geographic connectedness has exerted
both positive and negative effects on the evolution of technology. I found the book to be extremely
eye-opening and informative. If you have questions about any of our listings, we will be happy to
answer them or provide additional information. He illustrates in example after well-documented
example the consequences for societies disregarding their resource base or destructive practices.
Three library stamps and removal of ticket from f.f.e. otherwise a really nice clean copy. Pick up
Brighton East or will post at Buyers expense. I found it interesting, but not quite as compelling as I
might have if I wasn’t already familiar with some parts of the story. If one state did not pursue some
particular innovation, another did, forcing neighbouring states to do likewise or else be conquered or
left economically behind. That has relevance to oil-dependant first world nations today, for example.
The great share of these failure were due to population rising during good times where rain and land
was good and then being stressed mightily when the weather turned poor and all those people
starting getting angry and hungry and began tearing at the roots of these societies. The fact is, in a
market economy, where profit is the motive, successful companies will pollute to the full extent that
our laws and attitudes allow. Literature on the dangers of global warming and about the human
effects on the environment isn't going to get the point across to those who willfully avoid learning
about the topic. They are questions that stretch across numerous disciplines. Would love to be
magnificently wrong on everything but I’d rather try and see things as they are than try and lie to
myself with beautiful illusions. This talk was presented at an official TED conference. What
happened to the architects of the crumbling Maya pyramids.
To say that they choose to fail is a bit misleading. My views may seem to ignore a moral imperative
that businesses should follow virtuous principles, whether or not it is most profitable for them to do
so. And what a debate! How’s this for one news item on the subject pork chops. He concludes that
failure is not a given, that societies at some point essentially choose to either fail or succeed. Yet
humans are the dominant species on the planet - having founded civilizations and religions,
developed intricate and diverse forms of communication, learned science, built cities, and created
breathtaking works of art - while chimps remain animals concerned primarily with the basic
necessities of survival. Whether we choose to do so will be the big question. From the viewpoint of
an evolutionary biologist, he highlights the broadest movements both literal and conceptual on every
continent since the Ice Age, and examines societal advances such as writing, religion, government,
and technology. Yet it is so ravaged by human activity that half its species could be gone by the end
of the century. Jared Diamond is the bestselling author in the New York Times. Reissued here with
an updated afterword by the author and a new preface by the distinguished colonialist John Demos,
Changes in the Land provides a brilliant interdisciplinary interpretation of how land and people
influence one another. What's more, he argues, we ignore our historic partnership with these
astonishing animals at our peril. Her discoveries and vivid storytelling will revolutionize the way we
think about our food, our landscapes, our plants, and our relationship to Earth. He does point out
that some businesses have been instrumental in forcing improvements in producers. He tries to play a
balanced view on all this, hey corporations have to operate under their prime directive (PROFITS.
Condition: Como Nuevo. 1? Edicion. Cemex, Mexico. Primera edicion, 2006. Historia. Viajes.
Rastro y estela del hombre. Brilliant, illuminating, and immensely absorbing, Collapse is destined to
take its place as one of the essential books of our time, raising the urgent question: How can our
world best avoid committing ecological suicide. From the viewpoint of an evolutionary biologist, he
highlights the broadest movements both literal and conceptual on every continent since the Ice Age,
and examines societal advances such as writing, religion, government, and technology. Here
Diamond considers the five factors that may affect society, namely climatic change, environmental
damage, hostile neighbors and trade partners and lastly the societys responses to the problems caused
by the environment. His main focus is on deforestation, which in many cases contributed to some of
the other problems. Some of the environmental problems can be linked to something the author refers
to as the “tragedy of commons.” This is when a community all harvests a resource from a common
source, for instance, a forest, a communal pasture for grazing, or the fish in the ocean or a river.
Diamond contrasts the very different environmental impact of two oil fields, and continues with the
particular problems of hardrock mining, coal mining, logging and fisheries. Diamond rightly takes to
task environmental attitudes that appear to mindlessly value endangered birds or coral reefs above
people's interests or livelihood. So, if you're interested in the general premise and don't mind a lot of
research to understand the current situation, this book could be for you. 15 likes Like Comment
simon aloyts 11 reviews 3 followers June 28, 2007 The esteemed Jared Diamond, author of one of
the most insightful and profound books of the previous decade: Guns Germs and Steel, tried to break
the wave of his success on Collapse, a book about the failure of societies due to a laundry-list of
(mostly environmental) issues. Although periods of disunity returned several times after 221 B.C.,
they always ended in reunification. Unfortunately, this hit the bestseller list and lots of his
speculation became accepted by intelligent people who don't happen to be experts. 18 likes Like
Comment Brian Griffith Author 7 books 273 followers October 8, 2020 Collapse is even better than
Guns, Germs, and Steel. What is it about that two percent difference in DNA that has created such a
divergence between evolutionary cousins? So, when ploughing through the admittedly interesting
and illuminating chapters, I found I was waiting each time for the Five Points That Indicate Society’s
Success or Failure, and yes, I was not disappointed, for every chapter has the same structure. Until
we are ready and willing to make the tough sacrifices, we probably continue on the dangerous path
of speeding up the day when we leave our own planet uninhabitable for our species. With lessons
from the Norse of Iron Age Greenland, deforested Easter Island and present-day Montana, Jared
Diamond talks about the signs that collapse is near, and how -- if we see it in time -- we can prevent
it. Foundation Fellowship (a 'genius award'), and the Pulitzer Prize. About the speaker Jared
Diamond Civilization scholar See speaker profile Jared Diamond investigates why cultures prosper or
decline -- and what we can learn by taking a broad look across many kinds of societies.
It seems to me the real problem is that it is very difficult to minimize our impact on the environment.
According to diamond, societies collapsed mainly in the fourteenth century due to the outbreak
bubonic plague. The other chapters contained some interesting information too but weren’t as
engaging. Now, some NGOs have set up certification procedures that identify wood that was
harvested sustainably, but other corporate commissions have set up their own certification bodies to
confuse consumers. He goes at pain to explicate the archaeological evidence by which we
understand the Anasazi collapse, but here too he gets a little repetitive and locquacious. Diamond
looks at how these societies failed to respond to ecological problems. The answers he gives to the
Maya problem are some of the best researched and most clear reasons I’ve seen to date. With wit and
a wealth of fascinating examples, he explains how our sexuality has been as crucial as our large
brains and upright posture in our rise to human status. I remember reading Guns, Germs, Steel and
while I enjoyed it Diamond's geographical determinism was tiresome and I suspect overplayed. That
has relevance to oil-dependant first world nations today, for example. And he gets a lot wrong, at
least on the things I know something about (Easter Island, for example, where his Collapse
hypothesis is generally regarded by people who actually study the island's history and prehistory as
wildly off-base and unsupported by evidence). Stylistically, his tendency to repeat every point two
or three or four times might be helpful in the classroom, but it's irritating to read. Sure, but not nearly
as much as the fanboy Diamond supposes. 12 likes Like Comment Will Ansbacher 323 reviews 92
followers December 26, 2012 This would have been a better book at about half the length. In
Factfulness, professor of international health and global TED phenomenon Hans Rosling, together
with his two longtime collaborators, Anna and Ola, offers a radical new explanation of why this
happens. Instead of cutting down their trees, they farm trees: nearly every tree in the Tikopian
rainforest is cultivated for its nuts or fruit. Condition: Como Nuevo. 1? Edicion. Cemex, Mexico.
Primera edicion, 2006. Historia. Viajes. Rastro y estela del hombre. Diamond's breadth is awesome,
but alas his thesis is so diffuse as to be useless: sometimes outside forces are too powerful, or
people's responses too ineffective, so societies collapse. It is noteworthy that the scheme of slow
degeneration through creeping degradation of cultural as well as naturally given resources can strike
both relatively primitive, almost Stone Age societies as unexpectedly as highly developed and
militarily nearly unbeatable empires. Overall, my strong recommendation is not to bother with this
book. Of the fourteen animal species that can be domesticated, 12 are native to Eurasia ( diamond,
2005, episode 1). Dramatizing science in ways traditional nonfiction cannot, The Collapse of Western
Civilization reasserts the importance of scientists and the work they do, providing a welcome
moment of clarity amid the cacophony of climate-change literature. This book is worth a listen if you
have the patience for it, but be prepared for the usual mainstream conclusion that in the end corporate
CEOS will do the right thing because, you know, being nice is good for the bottom line. With lessons
from the Norse of Iron Age Greenland, deforested Easter Island and present-day Montana, Jared
Diamond talks about the signs that collapse is near, and how -- if we see it in time -- we can prevent
it. Despite the admonishers of the respective time, fanaticism and megalomania became the leading
motive and in hindsight apparent nonsensical and self-destructive mechanisms leaked into politics
until it was accepted as usual and criticism was negated until the downfall. I do think tech and
innovation can be tools to help us, but they all have various externalities and can cause new problems
of their own, plus in regards to environment, since the systems are all so interconnected you destroy
or damage one aspect it can lead to a grand cascade. I kept dozing off while reading them and
considered skimming through them more times than I care to admit. Diamond seems to have said,
hey, I can parlay that success and shoehorn a book that lets me talk about the places I love
personally, like Montana and Papa New Guinea with the never ending lamentations over climate
change and the environment. This puts a stark face on how we should and need to consider dealing
with the environment cards we're dealt though. Because Diamond has lived and spoken the language
in five of these six countries, he can present gut-wrenching histories experienced firsthand. Pick up
Brighton East or will post at Buyers expense. Remains particularly well-preserved overall; tight,
bright, clean and strong.
So it was kind of jarring to me when he states at the end of his book that he is “cautiously optimistic”
we can turn things around in regards to preventing environmental breakdowns and catastrophes for
global civilization. Diamond’s task is to try to understand why, and he has arrived at a five-point
framework to consider a given society’s collapse. Great decor item in good preowned vintage
condition.Mainly 1st Editions. Buy together or separately. Looking to the future, Diamond examines
whether the United States, Japan, and the whole world are successfully coping with the grave crises
they currently face. Similar problems face us today and have already brought disaster to Rwanda and
Haiti, even as China and Australia are trying to cope in innovative ways. He gets away with it under
an academic cover, but I think he just doesn't know how to concisely make a point. America made
that happen, but now America has lost interest in keeping it going. Whether it is negligent,
irreversible environmental destruction, political destabilization until to the collapse of state and
social order, including genocide and targeted destruction of infrastructure until relapse into archaic
forms of government and theocracy, there is a wide range of patterns. Reissued here with an updated
afterword by the author and a new preface by the distinguished colonialist John Demos, Changes in
the Land provides a brilliant interdisciplinary interpretation of how land and people influence one
another. But China's connectedness eventually became a disadvantage, because a decision by one
despot could and repeatedly did halt innovation. Clear warnings of climate catastrophe went ignored
for decades, leading to soaring temperatures, rising sea levels, widespread drought, and the disaster
now known as the Great Collapse of 2093. We are at a point where we will have to make these hard
choices to confront problems facing us, choices that many of us will be reluctant to make. We use
cookies to create the best experience for you. This exhaustive study in Malthusian economics as
applied to several societies in history that have failed, such as the Easter Islanders and Greenland
Norse, details the thematic traits common to each example. Check for other listed series of books:
Rick Ryordan, Deltora Quest. However, with the globalization of communication people in Third
World countries want the same standard of living as those they see living in First World countries.
The chapter on modern Australia was also quite eye-opening. So Collapse is sitting on my real-life,
non-virtual bookshelf with a JetBlue boaring pass marking my place, frozen in time like the artifact
of some extinct civilization. With lessons from the Norse of Iron Age Greenland, deforested Easter
Island and present-day Montana, Jared Diamond talks about the signs that collapse is near, and how
-- if we see it in time -- we can prevent it. For whatever reason, they would not make use of this
plentiful natural resource, which could easily have saved them; they perished instead. Try: - Facing
the Anthropocene: Fossil Capitalism and the Crisis of the Earth System - The Corporation: The
Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power --Nothing on the market economy’s value system that
prioritizes exchange-value (market price) over use-value, thus rampant commodification and waste.
Ex. a forest has no market exchange-value (despite tremendous use-value) until it is: a) Cut down
and sold as commodities. Therefore, it would no longer be concluded with scientific seriousness by
introducing additional factors such as in the case of the Roman Empire or other fallen empires.
Despite the admonishers of the respective time, fanaticism and megalomania became the leading
motive and in hindsight apparent nonsensical and self-destructive mechanisms leaked into politics
until it was accepted as usual and criticism was negated until the downfall. The Invisible Hands
provides investors and traders with the latest thinking from some of the best and the most successful
players in money management, highlighting the specific risk and return objectives of each, and
discussing the evolution of certain styles and beliefs in money management. Vintage in excellent
preowned vintage condition.Mainly First Editions. I found the book to be extremely eye-opening
and informative. Most notably is how deforestation and imprudent population control applies to
modern societies in trouble as well. One observer is quoted as saying “The apocalypse here will not
take the form of an earthquake or hurricane, but of a world buried in garbage.” (Page 351) Just like
maintaining the health of our bodies, preventing environmental messes is cheaper in the long run.
After reading this litany of miseries, all I can say to my Australian friends is “Good luck, mate. He
illustrates in example after well-documented example the consequences for societies disregarding
their resource base or destructive practices.

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