Guns, Germs, and Steel Summary PDF

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Summary of 4 sections of the book Guns, Germs, and Steel. ...

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Section 1: From Eden to Cajamarca A Natural Experiment Of History  delineates the multifarious reasons for how a singular Polynesian people of New Zealand diverged into two vastly differing subcultures known as the Moriori and the Maori. Relating the historical analysis to the parallels of observing a laboratory experiment, author Jared Diamond initially explains that geography played an important role in the evolution of the two groups and their style of life, including resource management and cultural mindset. The first ancestral Maori colonists who immigrated to the Chatham Islands could not cultivate their tropical crops in the colder environment, so instead, they were obligated to become hunter-gatherers. Since there were no other neighboring islands to colonize, the reclassified Moriori chose to eliminate any provocations that would incite war amongst their own people, and strove to keep each other in good graces. Furthermore, the Moriori kept their technology at the simplest level and did not have a structured system of leadership. The Maori who remained settled in New Zealand continued to experience an increase in crop growth due to the suitable temperatures, and a steady enlargement of the population. As a result, they acquired the resources to expand and perfect the elements of their culture such as war. For instance, the Maori frequently engaged in combat with bordering peoples to appropriate their territory. Because the Maori were so advanced, after centuries of separation, the encounter with the Moriori led to the easy defeat and conquering of the less-prepared, weaker culture. Looking at the bigger picture to encompass any set of populations, factors such as geographical isolation, social complexity, economics, and so forth are all responsible for the divergent nature of human cultures.

Section 2: The Rise and Spread of Food Production The chapter How To Make An Almond  explains how plants have been cultivated and domesticated over centuries to meet the quality standards of humans. Initially, food production was not a consciously-developed societal skill. Most means of resource gathering came from hunting and gathering. It yielded an instant source of food, and required less patience than deliberately planting seeds and expecting crops, where numerous variables had the potential to ruin a harvest. Instead, designated members of the population would be sent out to find food. However, farming eventually came into effect unintentionally, with “farmers” gathering the most appealing wild foods. The most sizable, attractive-looking produce would be consumed, with the seeds planted. Over time, crops with genotypes responsible for those desirable traits would become more numerous in number, and eventually the most prevalent. Certain crops were often bred for a specific trait, such as the size of their fruit or the seed content. No longer was natural selection the only method by which plants evolved. Instead, gene makeup and phenotype were contingent on generations of selective breeding.

Section 3: From Food To Guns, Germs, and Steel Microbes have evolved to become more resilient, effective, and widespread over the course of history, explains Diamond in the chapter Lethal Gift of Livestock . Often found in the form of parasites and permeating the flesh of certain organisms, microbes may infect humans and other creatures by residing in food sources, insect saliva, or waste. Making contact with the microbes can result in contracting the corresponding illnesses they entail, such as malaria and plague. Certain types of microbes can alter the host’s corporeal environment to increase the rate of transmission, which improves the longevity of the pathogen. Animals such as livestock and pets that are usually in close proximity to humans carry diseases that can affect us. Because of the close relationship between these organisms and our lives, microbes that infect many domestic animals have evolved to infect humans too. Epidemics have played a crucial role in shaping history. For example, European settlers that crossed paths with the Native Americans introduced them to germs they had never been exposed to before, resulting in a massive onslaught of disease that severely devastated their population. The Europeans were then easily able to conquer the Native Americans and commandeer their land. The reason no germs from the New World affected the Europeans were because the population and exposure to domestic animals was much larger in Europe. Europe was also involved in trading with other countries, so they also gained exposure to pathogens from other places. The New World was an environment vastly different from the Old World, and as a result, the Native Americans suffered from the diseased the Europeans harbored upon their arrival.

Section 4: Around The World In Six Chapters The focal question of the chapter Hemispheres Collide  centers around the reasons for why Europeans conquered the Native Americans, and not the other way around. The first reason involves food production. In Eurasia, 13 large domestic mammal species such as cattle were prevalent and popular; providing sources of milk, meat, and hide. Furthermore, their strength and excrement acted as a catalyst for crop growth, since they were able to pull heavy machines and fertilize fields with their manure. In comparison, the Americas were at a disadvantage, utilizing only one domestic mammal; the llama. They inhabited only small areas, humans did not ingest the milk, nor did they provide a source of strength to power the technology the Europeans were currently implementing into their daily lives. Agriculture also played an important role in how the environments differed. Many more hunter-gatherers existed in the Americas, versus Eurasia, which invested much time and labor into cultivating crops and herding animals. The most plausible explanation for this ties back into the issue of the lack of domestic animals in the Americas. Since there was one sole domestic animal that was unable to carry out the necessary work for farming, it was hardly an option. Another example of how Eurasia dominated the Americas was in terms of lethal pathogens. Since Europeans were already exposed to the diseases of domestic animals that did not dwell in the Americas, the natives contracted the foreign illnesses and their population diminished. Biological aspects aside, Eurasia also had an advantage over the Americas in means of technology. Possessing

metals such as copper, bronze, and iron to make weapons like steel swords and daggers, they easily triumphed over the bone, wood, and stone tools of the natives. Excelling in political organization and writing/communication, Eurasia was simply the most well-equipped and therefore took over the Americas with their clear upper hand....