Guns, Germs, and Steel

By Jared Diamond

Epilogue:  The Future of Human History as a Science

Guns, Germs, and Steel

In his epilogue to “Guns, Germs, and Steel,” author Jared Diamond argues for the future of human history as a science and outlines four sets of conditions that determine the evolution of the human species.  They are:  continental differences in wild plants and animals; rates of diffusion and migration; diffusion between continents; and continental differences in size of area or total population.

It should be noted that Diamond does not distinguish between Europe and Asia, but refers to them as a single continent, which he calls Eurasia.  His singular, common sense approach to geography is refreshing and tectonically sound, for Europe is no more separated from Asia than is India.

In the beginning, the continental differences in wild plant and animal species limited the size of the sustainable population of human beings.  Eurasia had an abundance of both; Africa had somewhat less than Eurasia; the Americas had considerably less than Africa; and Australia had considerably less than the Americas.  New Guinea, the world’s largest island, had considerably less than Australia.  For reasons not made clear, Diamond fails to mention Antarctica in his comparative analysis; but, as good fortune would have it, neither Admiral Byrd, nor the first penguins he brought back to the United States will ever know that they have been slighted. 

Diamond aptly points out that diffusion and migration are contributing factors in societal evolution as well – witness the evolution of society in the Americas after they were discovered, or rather “encountered,” ^(PC) by the Europeans.

Diffusion and migration patterns varied greatly among the continents due to differences in their topographical features:  mountain ranges formed natural barriers; deserts were significant obstacles to be traversed; and rivers formed natural boundaries.  Differences in climate also had an impact.  Migration and diffusion occurred at an accelerated pace in Eurasia because its major axis ran from East to West.  In Africa and the Americas transcontinental movement occurred at a much slower rate, owing to their north-south axes and natural barriers. Passage across the Australian outback was all but impossible, until camels were taken there from the Middle East.  Due to its rugged mountains and deep gorges, New Guinea was impassable.  And, lest we forget, the penguins never left the ice laden shores of Antarctica until they were forcibly removed by the Byrd expedition.

Diffusion between continents varied greatly: Overland travel between Eurasia and Africa has always been possible due to their proximity; however, the Americas were separated from Eurasia and Africa by the world’s largest oceans; and Australia was bounded by the Indian and Pacific Oceans, remaining distant from all continents other than Eurasia. Antarctica was separated from the other continents by copious amounts of salt water along its northern littoral.

Penguins, the Stewards of Antartica

Contributed by Richard Wible

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