This blog post critically examines Jared Diamond’s argument that ‘Guns, Germs, and Steel’ explains the gap in civilizations.
Why I Read the Book
Guns, Germs, and Steel is a book written by Jared Diamond in 2005. Although it is over a decade old, it consistently ranks as the most borrowed book at Seoul National University’s Central Library, maintaining steady popularity. I don’t usually read books much, but I picked this one up thinking I should read a bestseller.
In the prologue, Jared Diamond begins the story with a conversation he had with his friend Yali, whom he met while studying ornithology in Papua New Guinea. Yali asked Diamond: “Why couldn’t we black people create such ‘cargo’ like the white people?” This question probed why humans, who lived as hunter-gatherers, had developed such markedly different civilizations across continents over the past 13,000 years. Drawing on his broad academic background in anthropology, ornithology, physiology, and biology, Diamond sought to answer this question. He explains that the answer lies not in physical differences between races, but precisely in ‘environment’. The differences between civilizations are products shaped by the natural environment, and he analyzes the main causes by dividing them into three categories. Unlike the conventional view that classifies the development of existing civilizations based on technological differences, this book describes the differences between civilizations by continent and explains the development of civilization from an evolutionary biological perspective.
Diamond is credited with moving beyond existing Eurocentric thinking and analyzing the spread of technology and the formation of civilization without imperialist bias. Conversely, however, there is also a perspective that sees this as a theory designed to emphasize European superiority, which has heightened interest and expectations for this book.
Plants: Why Differences in Food Production Caused Civilizational Gaps
Diamond explains that differences in plant distribution are the root cause of civilizational gaps. Nearly all major modern crops and domesticated animals originated in the Eurasian continent, known as the “Fertile Crescent.” The emergence of agricultural societies increased food production sufficient to support larger populations, creating a non-agricultural segment of society. These individuals primarily served as the ‘managers’ of civilization, involved in religion or politics, enabling civilizations to gradually accelerate their pace of development. Drawing on his multidisciplinary academic background, Diamond analyzes differences in food production based on each continent’s environment and links these to disparities in civilizational development.
Animals and Viruses: Conquerors’ Weapons More Fearsome Than Guns and Swords
Diamond also argues that differences in the domestication of animals led to variations in food productivity. Humans acquired immunity to diseases transmitted from domesticated animals, which proved a more effective means of conquest than powerful weapons when Europeans invaded other continents. For example, Native Americans, lacking immunity to infectious diseases, suffered devastating blows from illnesses brought by Spanish conquerors.
Observing this example raises the question: Is interpreting actions related to human civilization’s development solely through environmental and biological lenses truly a complete analysis? Diamond’s analysis attributes the reason Spain conquered the Inca Empire, while the Inca Empire failed to conquer Spain, to environmental and situational factors. He explains that the Inca emperor approached the Spanish conquerors unarmed because the lack of a written language prevented him from recognizing the threat posed by outsiders.
I believe this interpretation requires a different perspective. At the time, the Incas and Native Americans extended hospitality to unfamiliar external groups, seeking friendship, while the ‘conquerors’ massacred and enslaved them for their own gain. From a modern perspective seeking coexistence and symbiosis, one could even argue that these peoples possessed a more humane and ‘human-centered’ culture. Historian James Blort criticized Diamond for merely replacing one Eurocentric value system with another, viewing Diamond’s arguments as yet another justification for maintaining European privilege.
Geography: The Fundamental Cause of Civilizational Development
Diamond argues that geographical influences decisively shaped the distribution of animals and plants, leading to differences in civilizational development. Humanity requires sufficiently favorable environments for civilization to flourish; for example, China’s Yellow River civilization thrived due to its fertile surroundings. Conversely, Europe lagged behind China until the 16th-17th centuries but developed technology, science, and capitalism within its competitive environment.
However, the ‘Principle of Optimal Dispersion’ used to explain the differences between China and Europe appears to contradict Diamond’s environmental factors. While the author argues that fragmented societies are more advantageous for development than overly integrated ones, regions lacking fertile environments, like the Indus River Valley, also achieved prosperity through human pioneering efforts. In other words, while humanity is influenced by its given environment, it also made efforts to overcome these constraints and build civilization.
Questions raised after reading the book
Ultimately, Diamond argues that environment had a decisive influence on the development of civilization, and that ‘environmental factors’ had a greater impact than physical differences between races. According to Diamond’s logic, Europe’s greater development compared to other continents was due to environmental ‘luck’. He suggests that the ‘diffusion’ of technology is merely a process of spreading to less developed regions, and that war and genocide can be justified during this diffusion process. This could imply that future humanity might have to live with the anxiety caused by war and invasion.
While I agree that the environmental factors Diamond presents are important elements in the development of civilization, I believe there are limitations to explaining human development solely through environmental factors and guns, germs, and steel. Human civilization is also influenced by cultural and genetic differences. His other work, ‘Clocks and Civilization,’ reflecting this perspective, interprets this as stemming from differing approaches to technology. I believe it is problematic to evaluate the development of civilization solely by the yardstick of guns, germs, and steel.
