Re: Why the West has 'won'

Mark Crosby (crosby_m@rocketmail.com)
Mon, 4 Aug 1997 14:07:22 -0700 (PDT)

Sarah Marr wrote:
<Has anybody read any well though out, cogently argued and
evidentially supported theories as to why technology, commerce,
exploration, science, etc. developed in the West (and East) whilst the
African sub-continent remained isolated and communites there relied on
gatherer-hunter activities and basic agriculture?>

Well, there’s Jared Diamond’s _Guns, Germs, and Steel_ which has been
mentioned here several times. There’s a nice bite-size version of
this (along with fairly recent comments from many people such as Greg
Benford and Kevin Kelly) in Diamond’s paper "Why Did Human History
Unfold Differently On Different Continents For The Last 13,000 Years?"
at http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/diamond/diamond_p1.html

It’s interesting, although it may not have the academic rigor you
might be looking for.

Mark Crosby

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