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Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive
by Jared Diamond (2005)

Whereas Guns, Germs and Steel explains why history unfolded differently on different continents with varying successes, Collapse gives the other side of the coin: how societies crumble. While the main points of the book emphasize environmental and ecological factors (mostly self-induced), Diamond never reduced it to a mere environmentalist’ diatribe, pragmatically writing as a middlemen with experience of both environmental problems and of business realities.

The book is divided into four parts, beginning with part one analyzing modern Montana as a model of the world, a site so commonly associated with natural beauty but still with its share of seemingly-remote environmental problems. Part two studies how past, thriving societies (Easter Island, Anasanazi, Mayans, Vikings, Norse Greenland) came to their end, closing by analysing why some societies, after being brought down by environmental problems, managed to survive. In part three Diamond, building on what he’s explained from previous chapters, dissects some prominent crises in modern societies, taking his picks on Rwanda (genocide), the Dominican Republic and Haiti, China and Australia. He concludes in part four by explaining why societies make disastrous decision and what can be done to stop ours from going down the same disintegrating path.

A well-written “sequel” to Guns, Germs and Steel that acknowledges world’s problems with (as always) level-headedness and impressive knowledge, at the same time gives reasons for hope, the book provides good introduction to an increasingly important, urgent topic.There is also plenty of resourceful (and most I find accessible) suggestions at the end of the book for further readings.

Buy this book at Amazon.com

Tags:environment, Jared-Diamond, politics, science, social science
Diamond, Jared, Recommended, environment, science, social science

January 17, 2006 @ 11:18 pm