Guns, Germs, and Steel : The Fates of Human Societies
Registered by eastbaybookmisr of Oakland, California USA on 8/9/2024
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
1 journaler for this copy...
1999 Norton trade paperback of the 1997 NYT Bestseller and Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, about the controversial theory of why the European West triumphed as the rest of the world did not. I read this years ago as a library loan audio book, but I decided to give this another read after I found this copy today in the middle Brown Little Free Library.
Edit February 11, 2025: This was somewhat fascinating, and I learned a lot on this re-read. However, he has a typical Leftist politically correct bias, which asserts that people are people biologically, no matter what, or when, which is just obviously impossible and false. It is strange to read him elaborate about evolutionary adaptive changes in all sorts of domesticated life, from plants to animals, and yet just blithely dismiss any such possibility among only one species. He does not even begin to dispute findings such as in The Bell Curve, which prove the point. He just slurs anybody who might suggest such observations as being "racist," the slur of choice for scientific pretenders. But that aside, the basic concept of the book, about geological advantage in societal advance is well-constructed here. I have my own theory, about how western technological mass slaughter and avoidance strategy is a powerful determinant of artificial selection among human populations, that would just as well explain why obvious differences exist. But this author would prefer that my theory does not exist, rather than debate it squarely. So he gets the Pulitzer Prize, for his close adherence to pure doctrine of the collectivist hegemon. It just seems obvious to me that history will not treat him well for it, in the longer run. This runs a bit long, but it's not much of a difficult read, although he can be a bit repetitive and wordy. I currently have this ranked at #5242 on my ranked list of best-read books lately.
Edit February 11, 2025: This was somewhat fascinating, and I learned a lot on this re-read. However, he has a typical Leftist politically correct bias, which asserts that people are people biologically, no matter what, or when, which is just obviously impossible and false. It is strange to read him elaborate about evolutionary adaptive changes in all sorts of domesticated life, from plants to animals, and yet just blithely dismiss any such possibility among only one species. He does not even begin to dispute findings such as in The Bell Curve, which prove the point. He just slurs anybody who might suggest such observations as being "racist," the slur of choice for scientific pretenders. But that aside, the basic concept of the book, about geological advantage in societal advance is well-constructed here. I have my own theory, about how western technological mass slaughter and avoidance strategy is a powerful determinant of artificial selection among human populations, that would just as well explain why obvious differences exist. But this author would prefer that my theory does not exist, rather than debate it squarely. So he gets the Pulitzer Prize, for his close adherence to pure doctrine of the collectivist hegemon. It just seems obvious to me that history will not treat him well for it, in the longer run. This runs a bit long, but it's not much of a difficult read, although he can be a bit repetitive and wordy. I currently have this ranked at #5242 on my ranked list of best-read books lately.
Journal Entry 2 by eastbaybookmisr at LFL - Grove Way (2626) #34891 in Castro Valley, California USA on Tuesday, February 11, 2025
Released 1 mo ago (2/11/2025 UTC) at LFL - Grove Way (2626) #34891 in Castro Valley, California USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
... in the box.
And please visit the next meetup of TriValley BookCrossing group, at Panera Bread in Dublin, the second Tuesday of each month.
And if you are now hoping to catch or release another book, but don't know where, check out my home page for a full list of all the local Little Free Libraries and other great release zones, where books can be safely left and found!
Aside from loving shared books, my main passion in life is supporting the human rights work of my good friend, Anni Cyrus. 💖 💖 Her life story of survival as a childhood refugee is astounding, and quite moving!
Please tune in to her many warnings to help the rest of us avoid the same fate she suffered under: Searchable on Google, DuckDuckGo, and YouTube. You can also follow her on Facebook and Telegram, among other platforms.
And please visit the next meetup of TriValley BookCrossing group, at Panera Bread in Dublin, the second Tuesday of each month.
And if you are now hoping to catch or release another book, but don't know where, check out my home page for a full list of all the local Little Free Libraries and other great release zones, where books can be safely left and found!
Aside from loving shared books, my main passion in life is supporting the human rights work of my good friend, Anni Cyrus. 💖 💖 Her life story of survival as a childhood refugee is astounding, and quite moving!
Please tune in to her many warnings to help the rest of us avoid the same fate she suffered under: Searchable on Google, DuckDuckGo, and YouTube. You can also follow her on Facebook and Telegram, among other platforms.
