Module 2- Cultural Development: The result of many factors

I find it quite absurd to think that anyone would think that the development of different cultures across the planet differ due to biological differences. This said, until I read Diamonds discussion of this subject, I would have not been able to give and support another explanation. Diamond presents a wonderful argument against such a close-minded concept. He founds his ideas and examples so well it’s hard to see it any other way then his. Although the question he asks is of the history of Human cultures, he pulls from many different areas of study to support his ideas and draw parallels between concepts. He reaches to science, specifically biology, when he speaks of the effect that disease and epidemics had on different cultures. He does not speak of the peoples themselves and their innate immunity or lack there of, but of the presence of the sources of these diseases among different cultures. Reaching to geography and climatology, he discusses the axis’s of the different continents and how that affected animal migrations and the spread of vegetations. And this affected many different aspects of development, from agriculture, to domestication of animals to warfare technologies and so on. He also called upon geography again to explain why certain parts of the world developed slower due to the conditions of the land, such as insurmountable deserts, treacherous mountain ranges and unruly bodies of water. These things posed as a barrier between different peoples, preventing trading of goods, mixing of cultures, education, expansion and so on. He uses the island of Tasmania as an example. Tasmania is completely isolated from other cultures, lying 130 miles southeast of Australia, and therefore did not have the opportunity to trade, interact with or advance with other cultures. With such a through anasys of this sensitive questions and so much evidence proving his statements, Diamond shows that it is really necessary to think out side of the box, and look at things from different angle, and to consider all factors before coming to a conclusion, something I will remind myself to do in future writings or discussions.