Marginal Revolution: Guns, Germs, and Steel on TV tonight

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Guns, Germs, and Steel on TV tonight

An adaptation of Jared Diamond's renowned Guns, Germs, and Steel will be shown on PBS tonight, I believe at 10 p.m. but check it may depend upon your area. Thanks to Ed Lopez for the pointer. I must now run to give a talk (yes, it is intimidating to have both Jane Galt and Daniel Drezner in the audience), but I've opened comments for those of you who know more about this, and perhaps know about future showings as well.

Posted by Tyler Cowen on July 11, 2005 at 05:02 PM in Television | Permalink

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» Guns, Germs, and Steel from Burtonia Blogs
I see that PBS last night showed something based on Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel: "Learn why why some societies became conquerors - and others, the conquered." (HT: Marginal Revolution) I didn't watch it as I read the book and was n [Read More]

Tracked on Jul 11, 2005 7:10:56 PM

» TiVo from KarenDeCoster.com Web Log
How supid is it that someone who does not watch tv - me? - has TiVo? I have the cable company's version of TiVo, that is, which gives me 50 hours of recording time onto the hard disk. I never... [Read More]

Tracked on Jul 12, 2005 10:17:11 PM

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Comments

You can go online at PBS (http://www.pbs.org/tvschedules/) to see the schedule in your area. In the DC area the show begins tonight at 10 on Maryland Public Television (Channel 22) and tomorrow at 9 p.m. on WETA (Channel 26). The Washington Post ran a good article (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/10/AR2005071001218.html) on the series today, and the official PBS site (http://www.pbs.org/gunsgermssteel/) allows you to download show transcripts and background materials.

Posted by: Pablo at Jul 11, 2005 5:17:54 PM

My feelings about the book is that Diamond is on to something, but he misses the point. Geographic influences may have been responsible for the population densitites and cultural interplay that lead to global European dominance. However, the particular cultural result that lead to this dominance was the adoption of key policies (such as property rights, free markets, rule of law, etc.) that lead to economic growth

Posted by: Mr. Econotarian at Jul 12, 2005 3:51:58 AM

"such as property rights, free markets, rule of law"
Except that in the period that GGS covers, europe wasn't substanstially different to the rest of the world in those areas.

Posted by: Factory at Jul 12, 2005 6:44:57 AM

Here's part of my review "The Clash of Continents" of Diamond's book, which appeared in National Review in 1997:

Diamond's geohistorical approach certainly clarifies continental-scale history. Most of world history, however, is Eurasian history, and he's only sketchy on why the West Eurasians eventually overcame the East and South Eurasians.

Diamond is not content, however, to merely write the history of the last 13,000 years. He also claims that his evidence is of great political momentuousness because it shows that no ethnic group is inferior to any other: each exploited its local food resources as fully as possible. For example, after the Australian Outback explorers Burke and Wills exhausted their Eurasian-derived supplies, three times they had to throw themselves on the mercy and expertise of the local Stone Age hunter-gatherers. These Aborigines, the least technically advanced of all peoples, may not have domesticated a single Australian plant in 40,000 years, but in 200 years down under scientific whites have domesticated merely the macadamia nut. Farming only pays in Australia when using imported crops and livestock.

But, are indigenous peoples merely not inferior? In truth, on their own turf many ethnic groups appear to be somewhat genetically superior to outsiders. Diamond makes environmental differences seem so compelling that it's hard to believe that humans would not become somewhat adapted to their homelands through natural selection.

And in fact, Diamond himself briefly cites several examples of genetic differences impacting history. Despite military superiority, Europeans repeatedly failed to settle equatorial West Africa, in part because they lacked the malaria resistance conferred on many natives by the sickle cell gene. Similarly, biological disadvantages stopped whites from overrunning the [high altitude] Andes. Does this make Diamond a loathsome racist? No, but it does imply that a scientific-minded observer like Diamond should not dogmatically denounce genetic explanations, since he is liable to get tarred with his own brush.

The undeniability of human biodiversity does not prove that we also differ somewhat mentally, but it's hard to imagine why the brain would differ radically from the rest of the body. Consider the fable of the grasshopper and the ant. The ant's personality traits -- foresight and caution -- fitted him to survive his region's predictably harsh winters. Yet, the grasshopper's strengths -- improvisation and spontaneity -- might furnish Darwinian superiority in a tropical land where the dangers are unpredictable.

Like many, Diamond appears to confuse the concepts of genetic superiorities (plural) and genetic supremacy (singular). The former are circumstance-specific. For example, a slim, heat-shedding Somalian-style body is inferior to a typically stocky, heat-conserving Eskimo physique in Nome, but it's superior in Mogadishu (and in Manhattan, too, if, you want to become a fashion model and marry David Bowie, like Somalian supermodel Iman). In contrast, genetic supremacy is the dangerous fantasy that one group is best at everything. Before the European explosion began in the 15th Century, it seemed apparent that no race could be supreme. Even the arrogant Chinese were periodically overrun by less-cultured barbarians. The recent European supremacy in both the arts of war and of peace was partly an optical illusion masking the usual tradeoffs in talents within Europe (e.g., Italian admirals were as inept as English cooks). Still, the rise and reign of Europe remains the biggest event in world history. Yet, the era when Europeans could plausibly claim supremacy over all other races has been dead for at least the 60 years since Hitler, of all people, allied with Japan.

The historian who trumpets the political relevance of his work must consider both the past and the future, which Diamond fails to do. Surprisingly, ethnic biodiversity is becoming more important in numerous ways. Until recently, one's location and social position at birth closely constrained one's fate. But, as equality of opportunity grows, the globalized marketplace increasingly exploits all advantages in talent, including those with genetic roots. Pro sports offer a foretaste of the future: many are resegregating themselves as ethnic groups increasingly specialize in those games they're naturally best at. In summary, Diamond may prove a better guide to the last 13,000 years than the to next 13. [More]

POSTSCRIPT: Diamond's first book, The Third Chimpanzee, is a much more exciting read, even though a lot of it is outdated by now. But he was a lot freer-thinking back then before he turned himself into a global monument to racial political correctness. His bank account, however, wasn't as well-padded before Guns, Germs, and Steel, though.

Posted by: Steve Sailer at Jul 12, 2005 3:27:35 PM

I do agree that Diamond went a little too far from his evidence. But I agree with the gist of "Guns".

"Guns" got a lot right. Geography, food sources, and climate were the main influences on early development. Africa, Australia, and Pre-Columbian America were handicapped.

The contest thus was between various Asian centers, the Middle East, and Europe. We can't know exactly why Europe prevailed. Poor political decisions by their rivals seem to have provided the edge at several crucial points. The peoples of China, India, Persia, etc. certainly were as able and had adequate resources.

PBS is so determined to twist anything into propagands that I seldom watch it. This time I will (if the program is aired again) just to see how they spin Diamond's book.

Posted by: KenS at Jul 13, 2005 6:49:51 PM

Not all of us read this on a daily basis. I need an earlier heads-up fyi. I'm so bummed I missed this.

Posted by: David O Cranor at Jul 14, 2005 4:55:13 PM

Hi everyone,

I thought you might be interested in seeing my review of the PBS program in July 8 Science. You can access a text version on my Web site at:

http://www.michaelbalter.com/NeolithicNews/07_25_2005|Review_of_Guns_Germs_and_Steel.php

all best, Michael Balter, Science

www.michaelbalter.com

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