1. Please note The text you are copying was created with software that recognizes characters on the page. It may contain errors. Please check the copied text to ensure accuracy. After clicking Close, the text is available in your clipboard to paste into other applications.Do not show this warning again We're sorry The Amazon Reader had a problem completing your request. Please try again, visit Your Media Library, or return to Amazon.com.try againYour Media LibraryAmazon.com Important Message Amazon.com is pleased to offer customers the ability to view copyrighted material from books that are part of the Search Inside! program. To protect this copyrighted material, books are subject to viewing controls. To view this page, you must be signed in to an Amazon.com account that has made a purchase in the past. Your account has not made an eligible prior purchase. To learn more, please see our Frequently Asked Questions.Frequently Asked Questions You are free to browse sample pages from this book by clicking the links in the Sections area of the Amazon Online Reader. See more information or continue shopping.See more informationcontinue shopping Important Message There was a problem handling your request. Do you wish to report this problem to Amazon.com? Important Message Settings Default View Settings Page viewing mode Single page ContinuousLeft panelsOpen Closed Default Annotation Settings Show highlights and bookmarksYes NoAnnotation color (highlights, notes)Allow others to see your annotations Learn moreLearn moreYes No Return to Amazon.com Page of 532 Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies Jared M. DiamondGuns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies Jared M. Diamond Price: $10.68 or Sign inSign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.248 used and new from $4.40248 used and new Search The Print command and keyboard shortcut (CTRL+P) are disabled when using the Amazon Online Reader. Use the Print button on the Amazon Online Reader toolbar to print the current page you are viewing. Important Message Your browser must support JavaScript to use the Amazon Reader. Continue shopping at Amazon.com. Continue shopping Sort Books by: Sort Books by: Front Cover Table of Contents Copyright Excerpt Index Back Cover Surprise Me! Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the Phi Beta Kappa Award in Science, the Rhone-Poulenc Prize, and the Commonwealth Club of California's Gold Medal

2. Jared Diamond Jared Diamond is one of America's most celebrated scholars. A professor of Geography and Physiology at the University of California, he is equally renowned for his work in the fields of ecology and evolutionary biology, and for his ground-breaking studies of the birds of Papua New Guinea.

3. Herrnstein and Murray : The Bell Curve (1994) Intelligence exists and is accurately measurable across racial, language, and national boundaries. Intelligence is one, if not the most, important correlative factor in economic, social, and overall success in America, and is becoming more important. Intelligence is largely (40% to 80%) genetically heritable. There are racial and ethnic differences in IQ that cannot be entirely explained by environmental factors such as nutrition, social policy, or racism. No one has so far been able to manipulate IQ long term to any significant degree through changes in environmental factors - except for child adoption - and in light of their failure such approaches are becoming less promising. The USA has been in denial regarding these facts, and in light of these findings a better public understanding of the nature of intelligence and its social correlates is necessary to guide future policy decisions in America.

4. Why do you think Diamond chooses to begin his book with a question? Why do you think Yali’s question is relevant for us today? Diamond proposes his answer to Yali’s question: Do you find this persuasive so far? If so, why? If not, what kind of evidence would he have to supply to persuade you? Diamond challenges some common explanations for differences among human societies. Are you familiar with these explanations? Do you know people who share them? Prologue: Yali’s Question Why do you think Diamond chooses to begin his book with a question? Why do you think Yali’s question is relevant for us today? Diamond proposes his answer to Yali’s question: Do you find this persuasive so far? If so, why? If not, what kind of evidence would he have to supply to persuade you? Diamond challenges some common explanations for differences among human societies. Are you familiar with these explanations? Do you know people who share them? Yali’s Question: “Why is it that you white people developed so much cargo and brought it to New Guinea, but we black people had little cargo of our own?”

5. Part One: From Eden to Cajamarca Where is Cajamarca? What is Diamond referring to? What do you expect to learn in this section of the book? Why would Diamond choose to start here?

6. Chapter One: Up to the Starting Line Diamond says: “An observer transported back in time to 11.000 B.C. could not have predicted on which continent human societies would develop most quickly, but could have made a strong case for any of the continents.” Why does Diamond begin his story at this point in human history; why not sooner or later?

7. Polynesia

8. New Zealand and the Chatham Islands

9. The Chatham Islands

10. Chapter Two: A Natural Experiment of History How does the fact that the Maori defeated the Moriori (a natural experiment of history”) support Diamond’s argument?

11. Northwestern South America

12. Peru

13. Modern Cajamarca, Peru

14. Chapter Three: Collision at Cajamarca Pizarro defeated the Incan emperor Atahuallpa, just like the Maori defeated the Moriori in the previous chapter. Why does Diamond use historical anecdotes to support his argument at this point in the book, rather than some other kind of evidence, like statistics? Can you think of a time when a less materially advanced society defeated a more materially advanced society? If you can, doesn’t that cast doubt on Diamond’s claim?