Guns, Germs, and Steel on PBS
Jared Diamond's excellent book Guns, Germs, and Steel has been adapted to a PBS television series.
If you have not read the book I would highly recommend you at least watch one of the episodes, which I imagine to parallel the book's structure and message.
Diamond's thesis is that European dominance of the world is not due to superior culture, smarts, etc. but due to favorable geographic placement. Diamond argues that the relatively horizontal landmass of Euro-Asia allowed for easier transmission of agricultural innovations (due to similar weather patterns), which sped up development. A very interesting idea, and one that I am inclined to believe.
One other notable thinker espousing a different theory is Victor Davis Hanson (I cannot think of anymore right now).
If you have not read the book I would highly recommend you at least watch one of the episodes, which I imagine to parallel the book's structure and message.
Diamond's thesis is that European dominance of the world is not due to superior culture, smarts, etc. but due to favorable geographic placement. Diamond argues that the relatively horizontal landmass of Euro-Asia allowed for easier transmission of agricultural innovations (due to similar weather patterns), which sped up development. A very interesting idea, and one that I am inclined to believe.
One other notable thinker espousing a different theory is Victor Davis Hanson (I cannot think of anymore right now).
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