Spike Jones wrote:
>
> > > > Diamond's book -- it's gotten strong pro and con reviews from
> > > > people I respect, which means I ought to read it, I suppose. Put
> another
> > > > round in the clip!
> > >
> > > Lee Daniel Crocker wrote: Add me to the "pro" side. Sure, a lot of
it
> is
> > > pretty speculative, but good speculations can be pretty compelling...
> >
> > Spike Jones wrote: Add me to the mildly con side. Much better is The
> Mating
> > Mind, by
> > Geoffrey Miller...
I've got Diamond's book, G**s, G**ms, & St**l (gotta be an equal opportunity
censor, ;-P), and I thought it was very good. He takes a very broad systems
type
approach to things, as he should with such big questions, and I think
demonstrates quite convincingly *WHY* it was that European civilization
happened
to have become the most advanced civilization, and it has absolutely NOTHING
to
do with racism, but with the natural evolution of species OTHER than man to
put
europeans on top in civilization game. I think this is the reason why it
hasn't
gotten as much play as more controvertial books like The B*ll C*rve.
Its concept of multiple cultures synergizing to reach a critical mass of
innovation and domestication are quite good.
>
> The reason I reposted this earlier was that after the fact I noticed I had
> quoted something many of us would perhaps like to see less of on the
> list, "...put another round in the clip..." etc.
>
> In light of last weeks flamewar, and the posts on bad PR, I ask that we
> all read carefully before we hit the send button, which I myself failed
> to do when I quoted the original question. No rebuke intended here
> at all, just asking all to subtract about 12 dB from anything that could
be
> misinterpreted. Its important.
Gee, Spike, first your into surveillance, now you're getting all PC... ;)
<VBG>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu Jul 27 2000 - 14:14:38 MDT