tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617900481067592523.post2428405805304907650..comments2012-05-02T11:27:55.438-04:00Comments on Health and Society: Guns, Germs, & SteelJHChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15006595225373347228noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617900481067592523.post-68239143084553343032012-04-17T22:19:25.895-04:002012-04-17T22:19:25.895-04:00I had a similar issue with Diamond’s eurocentrism....I had a similar issue with Diamond’s eurocentrism. Throughout the book, he seems to omit or oversimplify the large amount of influence that non-Europeans had on the West. Without things such as natural resources from Africa or gunpowder from China, the Western hegemony that exists today may not have been produced. He ignores the importance of historical and cultural factors on outcomes, focusing only on technological and biological influences. He states that China had the same advantages that Europe had, but that their geography was their downfall because there were no areas for government dissenters to escape to and innovation was therefore stifled. This is just one example of how Diamond leaves out a variety of other factors, such as the nature of government and differing cultural societies, that could be attributed to this outcome. By ignoring the historical, anthropological, and sociological dimensions of the cases he explores, I believe that he leaves out major parts of a potentially convincing argument.Chelsye Nelsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07951486918487359974noreply@blogger.com