Jared Diamond's Theory Of Civilization

1. For a civilization to conquer another, not only does it require knowledge and strategy, but also the aid of geography. This is a statement that Jared Diamond, an evolutionary biologist and biogeographer, demonstrated through his thirty years of research. His theory explained how human societies differed in regards to advancement and technology as a result of the dissimilarities in their environments. This advancement and technology aided civilizations in conquering others. Such occurred with the Europeans. They had an immense advantage over other civilizations due to their ideal climate for farming. Farming in such climate allowed for productive crops. In comparison, American civilizations were at a disadvantage due to their geographical …show more content…
A largely perceived thought, the way an individual sees the world determines their behaviour. Europeans guarded a worldview based on individualism. Aspects of life were based on the foundation of competition, greed and selfishness. Europeans did not believe in sharing, but conquering, owning and obtaining. In comparison, civilizations which had yet to advance, believed in collectivism, and interdependence; all individuals advanced together. These civilizations shared resources among all individuals, and they felt a sense of responsibility to the Earth. In contrast, the Europeans never felt such a responsibility, and thus exploited the Earth’s resources. These differences can be seen among the Europeans and the Aboriginals, for example. Another would be the Inca civilization. They believed in reciprocity, where as the Europeans put emphasis on taking. Furthermore, Europeans put their faith in Christianity, where as other groups placed their faith in other religions. In addition, the European worldview was based on ethnocentrism. Differences in worldviews, especially religion, caused immediate unfriendliness between Europeans and other groups, such as the Inca. The Europeans wanted to convert civilizations to become similar to them. However, many refused and resisted their advancements as they considered their worldview right. Typically, this caused war and conflict between the groups, because different worldviews caused hostility and disdain among unlike groups in contact. One group thought they were righteous, while the other group thought that they were right. Where as if the groups shared similar worldviews, conflict would be less likely and they would welcome each other with kindness. In conclusion, differing worldviews caused conflict between two interacting cultures as each group tried to enforce their superiority, worldview and culture on the other, resulting in conflicts and the extinction of multiple