GG&S: The Book was Better

Sir Francis was kind enough to bring the Guns, Germs, and Steel documentary to our attention. I’ve now seen the three part special, and here’s a brief review.

Diamond’s basic argument is that geography and environment played major roles in determining the shape of the modern world. Diamond says that racial and cultural arguments are absurd, and notes some interesting unconnected developments worldwide to cite the fact that he believes all people are the same—for example, people arrived at the British Isles and Indonesia at about the same time. Those people that were first able to domesticate plants and animals and create sustainable agriculture were then able to develop writing skills, as well as make advances in the creation weaponry and immunity to disease, which eventually led to better systems of government, enterprise, and technology.

I loved the book, and the documentary is an excellent way to get Diamond’s ideas out to more people. I enjoyed the three leisurely house I spent watching the documentary. My one beef? It’s too dumbed-down. In three hours they barely cover 5 of the book’s 19 chapters. I understand their are limitations, but they could have doubled the amount of information in the same amount of time without making it too complicated. So to those of you with the the time to sit down and read 400 pages, take the time to enjoy the book.