Hunter-gatherers - people who subsist by hunting, fishing, and foraging wild plants and animals.

Domesticable - capable of being domesticated, tamed, or cultivated for human use.

(Example: Diamond contends that geography played a significant role in the development of human societies.) Vocabulary: Verb of the day: Contend - to argue or assert a point to struggle or compete. What does 'Germs, Guns, and Steel' offer readers?.How did disease impact human history according to Diamond?.What advantage did societies with a written language have over those that relied on oral tradition?.How did geography play a role in the development of human societies?.What is the main argument of 'Germs, Guns, and Steel'?.

Overall, 'Germs, Guns, and Steel' provides a fascinating perspective on the factors that contributed to the success or failure of human societies throughout history. This, in turn, affected the course of history and the development of societies. He argues that the close proximity of people and animals in some societies led to the spread of diseases that caused devastating epidemics, wiping out entire populations and leaving survivors vulnerable to new infections. Societies with a written language were able to accumulate knowledge and pass it on from generation to generation, giving them an advantage over societies that relied solely on oral tradition.ĭiamond also discusses the impact of disease on human history. Diamond contends that societies with access to domesticable plants and animals had a greater chance of developing agriculture and settling in one place, while societies without these resources remained hunter-gatherers and moved around more frequently.Īnother key factor in the success of some societies, according to Diamond, was the development of writing and the ability to store and transmit knowledge. One of the main arguments of the book is that geography played a significant role in the development of human societies. According to Diamond, the availability of certain resources and environmental conditions led some societies to develop faster and become more successful than others. 'Germs, Guns, and Steel' is a book by Jared Diamond that explores the reasons behind the differences in human development around the world.

Guns and germs and steel