Comments on: Jared Diamond’s Noble Savage Collapse

By: willburd

willburd — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:37:08 +0000

I'm not sure which voice in this article is Singer's and which is Proyect's, but I think both oversimplify Diamond's larger message. In books such as “Guns, Germs and Steel” and “Collapse” Diamond very clearly underlines the importance of the culture in determining how humans interact — with the environment or each other. His basic method is to take assumptions about groups (or the human race) and explode those generalities to look at exactly how individuals, as parts of specific social/cultural groups act — whether in Montana, Greenlamd or Easter Island (or Papua-New Guinea). Individual humans are capable of all kinds of activities, whether rapacious or benign. We may enjoy great benefits by acting in concert with others, but the record also shows that we can blow it, as well.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:37:00 +0000

I’m not sure which voice in this article is Singer’s and which is Proyect’s, but I think both oversimplify Diamond’s larger message. In books such as “Guns, Germs and Steel” and “Collapse” Diamond very clearly underlines the importance of the culture in determining how humans interact — with the environment or each other. His basic method is to take assumptions about groups (or the human race) and explode those generalities to look at exactly how individuals, as parts of specific social/cultural groups act — whether in Montana, Greenlamd or Easter Island (or Papua-New Guinea). Individual humans are capable of all kinds of activities, whether rapacious or benign. We may enjoy great benefits by acting in concert with others, but the record also shows that we can blow it, as well.