Collapse, By Jared Diamond - 1697 Words

In his book Collapse, Jared Diamond gives you an in depth look at societies you may or may not be familiar with and shows you the secrets to their success or failure using his personal 5-point framework. I enjoyed this book and thought he made a lot of good points and had convincing evidence to back it up. While reading you could really tell he knew a lot about the areas he discussed because of the depth he went into with details and descriptions. One complaint I would have about the book is the length he went to in the detailed descriptions, at some points I felt he went too far and got a little wordy and with as much as he gave you are left with almost no questions or curiosity. There were a few terms he uses in the book like†¦show more content†¦Located in what is known as Meso-America and over 1,000 miles from the equator, the Mayans inhabited what is known as a â€Å"seasonal tropical forest.† This area contained dry seasons,unpredictable rain, and low elevation in many places. The question Diamond tries to address and answer in this chapter is, just how did †the New World s most advanced Native American civilization before European arrival† come to an end if it was so successful? He uses his 5-Point Framework to try and answer this. To start the Mayans severely damaged their environment through deforestation, slash and burn farming, erosion, and exhausting the soil. The Maya experienced drought after drought combined with continues climate change which had a harsh effect on the beginnings of the Mayan collapse. The society as a whole was divided into smaller kingdoms that were constantly as war which led to increased food shortages as so much food was needed to feed the armies. They didn’t rely much on trade so relations with friendly neighbors didn’t contribute much to their fall. Another contributing factor was the population, it grew so quickly it essentially outgrew its resources. And lastly the fifth point in Diamonds framework, a society s response to problems. Why did the leaders and kings notice these issues and attempt to solve them? Diamond explains simply that they were toShow MoreRelatedCollapse, By Jared Diamond1450 Words   |  6 PagesCOLLAPSE by Jared Diamond attempts to answer the question, â€Å"What caused some of the great civilizations of the past to collapse into ruin, and what can we learn from their fates?† This book is divided into four main sections, and I’ll be talking about the most important sections and the most important chapters in it. The first section starts off with Diamond going in to the present in the United States. He starts off with the Bitterroot Valley of Montana. While it seems untouched, with endlessRead MoreEssay on COllapse by Jared Diamond1070 Words   |  5 PagesAlthough Greenland and Australia are thousands of miles apart and very different in geography, they also have many similarities. In his book â€Å"Collapse†, Jared Diamond shows that both countries have the five factors that can contribute to a society’s collapse. Greenland’s Norse society already collapsed a long time ago, while Australia is still a First World country going strong. If some things there don’t change, the country’s living standard will go down and there could be major problems. Read MoreThe book Collapse by Jared Diamond973 Words   |  4 PagesBillion Chinese Jump). I hold out hope that we can change the global environmental problems we faced and make a difference. Though this wonà ¢â‚¬â„¢t be easy to change it won’t be impossible. Small changes that lead to bigger changes are being made. The book Collapse tells us about changes that China has made to change the environmental problem at hand. In 1973 China established Leading Group for Environmental Protection, which later became State Environmental Protection Administration. This group had a mission;Read MoreCollapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond3203 Words   |  13 PagesBook: Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed Author: Jared Diamond Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed â€Å"If people destroy something replaceable by mankind their called vandals; if they destroy something irreplaceable by God, they are called developers.† – Joseph Wood Krutch One of mankind’s greatest achievements is the development and organization of diversified societies that regulate life and ethical values for those enticed within it. Societies bring interpersonalRead MoreThe Environmental Change and the Collapse of Easter Island1208 Words   |  5 PagesThe environmental change and the collapse of Easter Island Ruud Coumans In this paper, we will search for an explanation of the mystical collapse of society on Easter Island, during the 18th century. We’ll use the second chapter for the book â€Å"Collapse. How Society Choose to Fail or Succeed† by Jared Diamond. First we will summarize some of the evidence supporting the explanatory framework of the author to give an outline of the situation. Then we will state the research question. After that weRead MoreLearning From The Inevitable : New Technology1159 Words   |  5 Pagesour generation feel â€Å"modern,† really has no practical aid when we are inevitably controlled by our natural environment. Even though societies today are more technologically advanced and the world has dramatically changed since ancient collapses, we must question collapse to effectively stop the same mistakes we made in the past from reoccurring, such as the ones made on Easter Island. The year is now 1200 CE. In the middle of the Pacific Ocean lies an island known as Rapa Nui or Easter Island. CiviliansRead MoreGun, Germs, And Steel By Jared Diamond1585 Words   |  7 PagesJared Diamond is a Geography professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. He has many fields of interest ranging from physiology to evolutionary biology and biogeography . Adding to that, Diamond also has published countless articles and authored multiple books. His most decorated book â€Å"Guns, Germs, and Steel†, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1998 and is widely regarded as a groundbreaking scientific work. In the prologue of â€Å"Collapse†, Jared Diamond claims that his previous book â€Å"Guns, GermsRead MoreThe World As Polder By Jared Diamond886 Words   |  4 PagesJared Diamond is a world renowned scientist, author, Pulitzer Prize winner, and currently a geography professor at UCLA. Of his six books published, we will be looking at the last chapter of his fourth book, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. In this book Diamond utilizes the comparative method to find resemblance in past societal collapses with our current society. In the chapter entitled, The World as Polder: What Does it Mean to Us Today, Diamond points out that there are indeedRead MoreCauses Of Collapse And Its Effects On The Worlds Most Remote Human Outposts1471 Words   |  6 Pagesisland subject to El Nino’s varying conditions (Hunt and Lipo 2007). Despite obstacles unique to Rapa Nui, as compared to its Polynesian neighbors, the people of Rapa Nui were successful before collap se, surviving as â€Å"one of the world’s most remote human outposts† (Hunt and Lipo 2012). The cause of collapse is, however (and, of course), a subject of debate over whether natural or anthropogenic factors led to the Rapa Nui’s downfall, and a lack of evidence has stopped anthropologists from reachingRead MoreAnalysis Of Maya s The Maya 942 Words   |  4 PagesMaya Secrets Locked in Stone Maya scholars debated for decades over the fate of the Maya. Recent evidence from an unlikely source, points a sustained drought in the 9th and 10th Centuries. Stalagmites and Stone Carvings Offer Clues on the Collapse of the Maya Civilization Circa 900 A.D., the Maya world fell apart. How could an ancient Meso American civilization flourish for hundreds of years only to fade into the forest? That riddle has perplexed scholars ever since 19th century explorers