There are many important differences between the New and the Old Worlds, such as the sophistication (or lack thereof) of language (pg. 450), celestial events being marked by the stars or the horizon (pg. 542), and varying interests in large sailing vessels (pg. 455) – without which the New World would not have even been discovered. However, the most important ones that can explain why the Americas developed slower than the Old World are the layout of the continents, hence, the differences in the domestication of plants and animals, plus the lack of significant writings in the New World, and the effect religion and general beliefs of the natural world had on the actions of the native peoples of each region.
Jared Diamond’s theory is just a theory, but it explains how the people of the Americas and Africa would have had a lesser advantage than their neighbors in Europe and Asia. His theory states that Europe’s and Asia’s axes running east-west, and the axes of the Americas and Africa running north-south, had a significant toll on the development of these continents. “The significance of this is that the diffusion of domesticated animals and plants is much easier from east to west, or west to east, than from north to …show more content…
This meant they had no written histories, philosophies or scriptures to fall back on” (pg. 450). The fact that they had no way to mark down their past or philosophies introduces the state of mind of the natives of the New World. Writing held a significant purpose in Eurasia because it told their story, marked their beliefs, and they could have influence over one another. On the other hand, the Indians expressed themselves through their religious ceremonies and their superstitious rituals. Because of this, they were less effective in spreading their collective knowledge to each other, if they had an interest in doing so, and their history was not readily available for study and
Jared Diamond’s theory is just a theory, but it explains how the people of the Americas and Africa would have had a lesser advantage than their neighbors in Europe and Asia. His theory states that Europe’s and Asia’s axes running east-west, and the axes of the Americas and Africa running north-south, had a significant toll on the development of these continents. “The significance of this is that the diffusion of domesticated animals and plants is much easier from east to west, or west to east, than from north to …show more content…
This meant they had no written histories, philosophies or scriptures to fall back on” (pg. 450). The fact that they had no way to mark down their past or philosophies introduces the state of mind of the natives of the New World. Writing held a significant purpose in Eurasia because it told their story, marked their beliefs, and they could have influence over one another. On the other hand, the Indians expressed themselves through their religious ceremonies and their superstitious rituals. Because of this, they were less effective in spreading their collective knowledge to each other, if they had an interest in doing so, and their history was not readily available for study and