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Civilizations Rise and Fall #2
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed
Brilliant, illuminating, and immensely absorbing, Collapse is destined to take its place as one of the essential books of our time, raising the urgent question: How can our world best avoid committing ecological suicide?
In his million-copy bestseller Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond examined how and why Western civilizations developed the technologies and immunities that allowed them to dominate much of the world. Now in this brilliant companion volume, Diamond probes the other side of the equation: What caused some of the great civilizations of the past to collapse into ruin, and what can we learn from their fates?
As in Guns, Germs, and Steel, Diamond weaves an all-encompassing global thesis through a series of fascinating historical-cultural narratives. Moving from the Polynesian cultures on Easter Island to the flourishing American civilizations of the Anasazi and the Maya and finally to the doomed Viking colony on Greenland, Diamond traces the fundamental pattern of catastrophe. Environmental damage, climate change, rapid population growth, and unwise political choices were all factors in the demise of these societies, but other societies found solutions and persisted. Similar problems face us today and have already brought disaster to Rwanda and Haiti, even as China and Australia are trying to cope in innovative ways. Despite our own society's apparently inexhaustible wealth and unrivaled political power, ominous warning signs have begun to emerge even in ecologically robust areas like Montana.
Brilliant, illuminating, and immensely absorbing, Collapse is destined to take its place as one of the essential books of our time, raising the urgent question: How can our world best avoid committing ecological suicide?
In his million-copy bestseller Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond examined how and why Western civilizations developed the technologies and immunities that allowed them to dominate much of the world. Now in this brilliant companion volume, Diamond probes the other side of the equation: What caused some of the great civilizations of the past to collapse into ruin, and what can we learn from their fates?
As in Guns, Germs, and Steel, Diamond weaves an all-encompassing global thesis through a series of fascinating historical-cultural narratives. Moving from the Polynesian cultures on Easter Island to the flourishing American civilizations of the Anasazi and the Maya and finally to the doomed Viking colony on Greenland, Diamond traces the fundamental pattern of catastrophe. Environmental damage, climate change, rapid population growth, and unwise political choices were all factors in the demise of these societies, but other societies found solutions and persisted. Similar problems face us today and have already brought disaster to Rwanda and Haiti, even as China and Australia are trying to cope in innovative ways. Despite our own society's apparently inexhaustible wealth and unrivaled political power, ominous warning signs have begun to emerge even in ecologically robust areas like Montana.
Brilliant, illuminating, and immensely absorbing, Collapse is destined to take its place as one of the essential books of our time, raising the urgent question: How can our world best avoid committing ecological suicide?
608 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
About the author
Jared Diamond
50 books8,302 followersJared Mason Diamond is an American scientist, historian, and author best known for his popular science and history books and articles. Originally trained in biochemistry and physiology, Diamond is commonly referred to as a polymath, stemming from his knowledge in many fields including anthropology, ecology, geography, and evolutionary biology. He is a professor of geography at UCLA.
In 2005, Diamond was ranked ninth on a poll by Prospect and Foreign Policy of the world's top 100 public intellectuals.
In 2005, Diamond was ranked ninth on a poll by Prospect and Foreign Policy of the world's top 100 public intellectuals.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 5, 2025
Svært interessant bok, selv om den var litt tungrodd i starten. Fortsatt dagsaktuell, og det hadde vært gøy med en oppfølger/kommentar om de siste 20 årene med utgangspunkt i forfatterens betraktninger.
May 29, 2017
Veldig god bok om verdens miljøproblemer som følge av menneskene som krever sin plass. Til tider noe langtekkelig, spesielt de første par kapitlene synes jeg var tunge å komme meg igjennom, men ellers veldig godt "researched", opplysende og engasjerende skrevet.
Nå har jeg den norske utgaven oversatt av Anne Arneberg for Spartacus forlag og jeg må si det var eksepsjonelt mange (skrive?)feil og andre tegnsettingsfeil gjennom hele boka. Det er sjeldent jeg blir så satt ut av slike feil, men så pleier heller ikke bøker å inneholde så mange feil som dette. Det virker som om oversettelsen ble veldig forhastet, kanskje for å få boka ut så fort som mulig, men man kunne da virkelig ha spandert på seg en siste gjennomlesning før trykkeriet.
Det er feil som at ord i flertall mister endelsen, et stor hus, det stor huset; ord som mangler, som jeg, seg osv.; samt tegn som er forvunnet forskjellige steder.
Anbefaler forlaget en liten korrektur før neste eventuelle opplag.
Nå har jeg den norske utgaven oversatt av Anne Arneberg for Spartacus forlag og jeg må si det var eksepsjonelt mange (skrive?)feil og andre tegnsettingsfeil gjennom hele boka. Det er sjeldent jeg blir så satt ut av slike feil, men så pleier heller ikke bøker å inneholde så mange feil som dette. Det virker som om oversettelsen ble veldig forhastet, kanskje for å få boka ut så fort som mulig, men man kunne da virkelig ha spandert på seg en siste gjennomlesning før trykkeriet.
Det er feil som at ord i flertall mister endelsen, et stor hus, det stor huset; ord som mangler, som jeg, seg osv.; samt tegn som er forvunnet forskjellige steder.
Anbefaler forlaget en liten korrektur før neste eventuelle opplag.
August 31, 2019
En bok av en mann alle bør lese for forståelse av hvorfor ting idag er som de er, hva problemene verden står ovenfor dreier seg om, og hvor det har gått til helvete før.
Ikke mitt siste møte med Jared Diamond, det er sikkert.
Ikke mitt siste møte med Jared Diamond, det er sikkert.
April 22, 2020
Grundig. Og litt skremmende!
July 8, 2023
Dnf på 68%. Ikke fordi boka er dårlig, jeg bare kjenner at sakprosa ikke er helt greia mi. Det jeg leste var veldig interessant og godt skrevet. Anbefales hvis man fascineres av historie og sivilisasjoner.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews