Guns, Germs, and Steel This instant

I don't like anything about this book. Quite simply, I don't like the way Jared Diamond apologizes for "western civilizational superiority." Civilizational superiority is measured here by a very narrow dimension - economic and technological. The senseless stupidity of constantly acquiring and creating new weapons, destroying the natural environment to create factories and homes - if these are the hallmarks of a truly civilized society, then Western societies come on tops. Unfortunately, as we all know, superiority and quality of life cannot be completely measured by these factors. The western world has been too proud and too arrogant for so long. You cannot measure quality of life by such arbitrary factors. There are great traditions in so-called primitively developed societies. I am fed up of the ignorance surrounding places of the world outside the bastions of western civilization.

How are you truly civilized if you oppress other people? If you burn down their homes? If you are constantly acquiring new weapons? If civilization is measured by these factors, then western societies have never set a good example in their founding days. Even now, the United States could do with a lot of improvement - by at least rejecting the use of arms and their development.

Civilization is measured by our spirituality and the compassion with which we treat others.

Jared Diamond has good intentions I am sure, but he is touching upon controversial topics. I object to the apologetic tone of his book. What is needed now is an understanding of the civilizations of the world, and an appreciation of them, at a fundamental level. With this appreciation, we can improve things. Never imagine that some place has the upper hand.

Japan, India, the Middle East do not fit any of these theories. A lot more understanding is needed about native American civilizations and the aboriginal Australian populations. I am sure I won't get that understanding from this book. The United States at least, is full of lush, natural resources. Japan barely has any natural resources but is still a prosperous country. The Middle East's only real resource is oil and it was only discovered recently.

Africa is a lush continent with many natural resources!!

To degrade human beings to the level of the resources their environment possesses, is unfair. Human beings have the power to control their environments. We have to address the fundamental reasons as why so many people are still unhappy. In so-called developed western societies too (developed by the narrow dimensions of technology and economic progress), a lot of people are unhappy and live less than fulfilling lives. They are disconnected from so many real issues and the plight of their common man.

Why should all the societies of the world follow the western standard of development? Which has been fraught with so much error, after all.

If you really want to learn about societies and people outside the Western world or narrow European American society, refer to more compassionate writers. People who at some level can identify with native populations, can do a much better job of explaining their issues and various problems.
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