Considerations:
- Good discussion questions should reference a specific point or idea in the text.
- Good discussion questions require critical analysis skills.
- Good discussion questions challenges one to demonstrate factual knowledge and an understanding of the geo-political, socio-historical context of the issue.
- Example: In the epilogue, Diamond states, "The histories of the Fertile Crescent and China also hold a salutary lesson for the modern world: circumstances change, and past primacy is no guarantee of future primacy"(GGS, 417). Discuss historical and contemporary examples that support or refute this assertion. (NOTE: This question is from the epilogue. You are only required to read and answer questions about the Prologue and Parts I, II, & III.)
Each student must create UNIQUE discussion questions. All comments are dated and time stamped - check previous comments to be sure you aren't duplicating someone else's question.
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ReplyDeleteIn the third paragraph of chapter 14 of Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel, Diamond describes his friend Doug's account of a gathering of a few dozen Fayu. Their population is so small that such an event is a frightening experience for many of them. The atmosphere quickly turned hostile as some Fayu met face to face with murderers of their relatives or bitter enemies. However, the Moriori from chapter 2 also had a small population in a circumstance similar to the Fayu, but their society developed in a way that promoted peace and egalitarianism among themselves and toward others. Discuss the factors that may have allowed these two groups of similar sizes to grow in different ways.
ReplyDeleteThink about the chapter, "Collision at Cajamarca." What do you think would have to be changed about the variables in this event in order to arrive at the outcome of victory for Atahuallpa's people? Was every factor stacked against them, or were there specific deciding factors?
Read the following quote. "Thus, the reason for the failure of Native Americans to domesticate North American apples by the time Europeans arrived lay neither with the people nor with the apples... Instead, the reason North Americans did not domesticate apples lay with the entire suite of wild plant and animal species available to Native Americans" (Diamond 156). How is this statement reflective of Diamond's overall argument about how certain peoples acquired certain resources? Discuss how this statement is a snapshot of his main idea, only on a smaller scale.
Chapter Five of Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel studies the areas in which food production was developed first and that areas that food production did not reach until modern times. Diamond also discusses differences in geography with hunter-gatherer regions and agricultural regions. Based on the information given in the chapter, what events may have affected agricultural areas in ancient times versus agricultural areas today?
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter Twelve, Blueprints and Borrowed Letters, Diamond analyzes the different origins of writing and how one alphabet formed into the next. He also describes the advantages of societies who knew how to write. Given this information, how could the ability to write benefit or hurt isolated societies in times of conflict?
Chapter Two of Guns, Germs, and Steel looks at the differences between two peoples, the Maori and the Moriori. The former was highly advanced, with actual weapons, ships, and organization, while the latter was more undeveloped an not used to conflict. When the Maori came to the Chatham Islands, they wanted to take over completely, and the Moriori did not have a chance to approach them with a plan of peace. Based on these events, what factors could be changed to allow the Moriori to survive?
In the prologue, Diamond states, “It’s easy to recognize why my impression that New Guineans are smarter than Westerners may be correct” (GGS, 20). Discuss, in regards to modern times, why Diamond’s statement is correct or why it is incorrect.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter two Diamond discusses the collision between the Maori and Moriori peoples. He explains that the Maori and the Moriori were both descendants of Polynesian farmers, and that the Moriori were once Maoris that colonized the Chatham Islands. Why do you think the Moriori people, who came from Polynesian farmers, decided to revert back to their old hunter-gatherer way of life? In addition, why do you think that these two groups did not remain in contact with each other?
In chapter three Diamond discusses Pizarro’s ambush strategy: “Pizarro explicitly modeled his ambush of Atahuallpa on the successful strategy of Cortés” (GGS, 80). Pizarro was able to study the strategy of Cortés that allowed him to capture Montezuma, emperor of the Aztecs. Discuss whether or not Atahuallpa would have made a different strategy upon entering Cajamarca if he had known of Cortés’s previous encounter with the Aztec Empire.
In Part One, Diamond talks about how some areas of the world had fertile soil but poor irrigation. What specifically makes "good" or "fertile" soil, and how could this definition possibly change depending on the soil's location in the world?
ReplyDeleteIn Part Two, Diamond extensively discusses radiocarbon dating and other dating methods. What are some ways that dating could be inaccurate and how could this affect a hypothesis backed by questionable dates?
In Part Three, Diamond talks about how religions formed to give power to authority figures and to justify kleptocracy. Do you think this is the case with all religions? If not, what religions could have formed for different reasons, and what might those other reasons be?
In Part One, Diamond focuses mainly on proximate causes that can be used to build up to the ultimate causes. Chapter Two looks at the collision between the Maori and the Moriori and how it is a small scale experiment testing how environments affect human societies by examining the different factors of each island or society, such as climate, geological type, marine resources, area, terrain fragmentation, and isolation. Discuss whether or not you think that Diamond’s use of this one area of the globe as an example for the rest of the world is effective and can be applied to global societies based on the previously mentioned factors.
ReplyDeleteIn Part Two, Diamond discusses how Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina principle can be applied to animal domestication. He defines the Anna Karenina principle as “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Discuss how this principle can account for the fact that only 14 of the world’s 148 wild mammal candidates for domestication actually succeed in being domesticated.
In Part Three, Diamond talks about the importance of lethal microbes in history which can be demonstrated by the Europeans’ conquest and depopulation of the New World. Many more Native Americans died from germs received from Eurasians than on the battlefield from guns and swords. Eurasia had such a surplus of these lethal germs to pass on due to their immense population of domesticated herd animals that flocked or came in contact with humans that the evolved diseases came from, whereas America only had five such animals and they did not have the same characteristics that Eurasian ones had. Given these facts, do you think that if conquered societies like the Native Americans had more disease transmitting animals, history’s course would have been completely altered or would have played out more or less the same?
In chapter five, Diamond includes several pages of pictures in the middle of the chapter. Why do you think Diamond includes these pictures and what do they have to do with that section of the book.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter nine of Part two of Guns Germs and Steel Diamond recognizes “six groups of reasons for failed domestication” (GGS, 169). Out of those six groups, which reason do you think was most detrimental towards domestication?
In chapter eleven, Diamond talks about how cholera is spread. "As long as the cholera victim is still alive, the bacteria thrives from being circulated through the water supplies" (GGS 200). How do you think advancements in technology, such as water treatment, has affected cholera and the ways that it is spread?
In the prologue, Diamond compares world history to an onion, referring to how history unfolded on different continents. Is there a better way to compare world history to something else? Is there an easier way to explain how history unfolded, instead of a comparison?
ReplyDeleteIn part two, Diamond discusses a lot about the founding and improvement of food production and animal domestication. How did the improvement of food production and domesticated animals aid in the way our population lives today?
In part three, Diamond describes the creation of words and writing, but this writing did not travel because it was restricted to scribes. Why do you think the people who invented this way of communication wanted to keep it hidden and not show off their creation like scientists like to do today?
In Part One Diamond describes Polynesia's changing environments. The Polynesians exterminated their food source because they were so easy to hunt down. Do you believe that this extermination could've been avoided and allow the Polynesians to rely on those animals for more than a quarter of a century, if so what should have been done? (GGS 58)
ReplyDeleteIn Part Two Jared Diamond really zones in on the Fertile Crescent which is truly where plants began to originate in multiple forms. Do you believe that at some point this Crescent could become depleted and not supply any more nutrients to the continents? If so what would the population have to do in order to survive? (GGS 130)
In Part Three Diamond discusses how germs were spread to civilized societies rather than nomads more easily. Thinking about how germs spread and the body fights them off when they are strong enough do you believe it would have been possible for the Hunter gatherers to never perish from the diseases that they did, what would have to have been done if it would have been able to be stopped? (GGS Chapter 11)
In the prologue Diamond makes a statement saying that New Guineans are more intelligent to westerners, or those in a more developed area. Do you think this is true? Since we have technology does this make us less intelligent than those who do not have it? (21)
ReplyDeleteIn Part One Diamond goes into detail about the Clovis colonies. He talks about how they started to spread across the continent. How might have the Clovis have spread all across the North American continent? ( 45)
In Part Two Diamond talks about the almonds and how they used to be poisonous yet, humans still wanted to eat them. Why did farmers back then start to domesticate new foods even though they had crops already? What drove them to do this? (115)
In part one Diomond suggests that "Eurpe stems from around half a million years ago, but there are claims of an earlier presence. One would assume that the colonization of Asia also permitted the simultaneous colonization of Europe, since Eurasia is a single landmass not bisected by major barriers." Do you believe based on this text information on page 37 may be true? If not, explain why.
ReplyDeleteIn part two Diamond on page 89 discusses how direct ways which plant and animal domestication led to a denser population from gathering more food than a regular hunter gatherer lifestyle. How might the plant an animal domestication led to denser populations?
On page 88 of part two of Diamonds GGS, he analyzes the use of livestock such a water buffalo, horses, cows, and other various types of livestock. How might the influence of livestock aided in a larger civilization? Additionally, knowing livestock can produce manure, (valuable and important in order to grow crops) why would modern civillization create a synthetic fertalizer to aid in crop growth? Why not keep using regular manure?
In chapter 1, Diamond mentions the idea of the "Great Leap Forward". What leapt so large to make it such a pivotal moment in the modernization of the world?
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 6, Diamond defines the differences between hunter-gatheres and farmers, being that hunter-gatheres are always moving to find food to satisfy their needs, while farmers stayed in one spot and grew their own food. Why do you think hunter-gatheres switched over to farming? And why did it take a short amount of time for some civilizations to switch and a long time for others?
In chapter 11, Diamond discusses infectious diseases and epidemics. What are the characteristics of epidemics that make them so effective in killing so many people? And why are epidemics today, like influenza, much less deadly and effect less people than epidemics years ago?
In Part 2, Diamond discusses the domestication of animals such as dogs, in what ways would the domestication of animals affect the development of humans? (Chapter 9)
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 6 Diamond discusses ways that farming could be beneficial and also how some groups switched between farming and hunter-gathering before settling on farming. What do you think is the main reason that the group decided to stick with farming in the end?
Chapter 11 discusses the lethal gifts of livestock. Do you think people during the time of development knew that animals carried and spread diseases? Do you think that if they did know they would have kept animals as close or would they have fallen to be more reliant on crops and distanced themselves from animals.
In the book, Diamond discusses the Anna Karenina Principle. He supports his theory of animal domestication with this theory. Give three reasons in which you would disprove his theory of animal domestication using the Anna Karenina Principle.
ReplyDeleteIn part 3, Diamond references and goes into depth about religion and how it effects the working force and the invention of products. Explain in detail what life would be like without religion in the essence of productivity and innovations.
In the prologue, Diamond provides reasonings for why New Guineans and why Westerners may be more "intelligent" but in different ways. State and explain using examples from the text whether you would rather be raised as a New Guinean, learning the basics of life, or as a westerner, learning the ways of logistics and statistics.
In Part Three, we hear of 'Kulu,' or laughing sickness, which was seen in Fore, New Guinea, and is caused by eating brain tissue during funeral processions. How does location and circumstance affect culture? Why were the New Guineans the ones who ate brains during funerals? Why not the Europeans? (208)
ReplyDeleteIn Part Two, Diamond talks about the way plants have evolved to allow animals to carry their seeds. According to the theory of evolution, plants, or photosynthesis-using organisms, were one of the first organisms. If so, how did they spread their seeds, and what did the arrival of animals do to bring on this natural selection? (115)
In Part One, Diamond states that "Long before anyone began manufacturing guns and steel, others of those same factors had led to the expansion of some non- European peoples, as we shall see in later chapters." We know that many ancient peoples especially in South America developed great empires, just like the Europeans did. Instead of thinking about why they did not develop guns, germs, and steel, instead think of the reason they became complacent. What caused these peoples to reach a high level of intelligence and civilization, but not progress further than they did before the arrival of Europeans? (81)