“Diamond in the Rough” Article by York & Mancus Essay

Numerous scholars focus on how people and societies developed, which has become a research topic discussed in many studies and books. Jared Diamond is among such scientists, and his book, Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, comments on how ancient cultures developed and explains why Eurasia dominated the rest of the world. The work is worth attention, and York and Mancus analyze it in their scholarly study, discussing the book’s strengths and weaknesses (158). The current assignment summarizes their article and proves that their critique of Diamond’s book is reasonable.

The scholars present convincing arguments to state that Diamond’s book has many advantages. In particular, the work stipulates that Eurasia had suitable environmental properties that helped this continent conquer the Americas, Africa, and Australia (York and Mancus 158). It is impossible to deny that the biodiversity of plants and animals in Eurasia provided its inhabitants with better opportunities to improve their societies, which finally led to its dominance over other continents. Diamond’s book is also valuable because he did not simply repeat other authors’ words regarding the importance of biological and ecological factors but highlighted that people’s entire environments made a difference (York and Mancus 159). Simultaneously, the scholars emphasized the book’s limitations, referring to the fact that Diamond failed to explain why Europe, not China, developed dominance and ignored the impact of divisions within societies (York and Mancus 160). However, these inefficiencies do not decrease the quality of the entire book since they do not refute the idea that differences among peoples’ environments determine their development.

In conclusion, the paper has summarized the scholarly article by York and Mancus. This study reviews Jared Diamond’s book, and the two provide a comprehensive critique of the source that explains why Eurasia dominated the world. Considering the identified strengths and weaknesses of the book, York and Mancus make a reasonable conclusion that Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies is a valuable resource for understanding world development.

Work Cited

York, Richard, and Philip Mancus. “Diamond in the Rough: Reflections on ˈGuns, Germs, and Steel.ˈ” Human Ecology Review, vol. 14, no. 2, 2007, pp. 157-162.