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Andrew asked this question about Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies:
Many historians have reexamined and abandoned the notion that Africa was always primitive and poor. John K. Thornton, for example, argues that Africa's backwardness is a recent phenomenon; before perhaps the 18th century, societies in sub-Saharan Africa were just as advanced as those in Europe or Asia. How does this square with Diamond's theory that Africa was geographically predisposed to poverty and backwardness?
Greg Well, how about this: Schoch and others propose that civilization did NOT move from Egypt and outward, but from an area called Sundaland (which is now…moreWell, how about this: Schoch and others propose that civilization did NOT move from Egypt and outward, but from an area called Sundaland (which is now underwater but is called the Austronesia area now) so therefore civilization moved west to east, not from Africa. AND, there are over 500 flood stories in human history. Andrew, to your point, did you know that the Chinese knew the earth was round 3,000 years ago? So, yes, there have been advanced civilizations all over the place for up to 10,000 years or so! And I'm not so sure that nuclear power indicates an advance in civilization: I would argue that a civilization without weapons of destruction in which people are happy and everyone gets along is more of a civilization than what we have today.(less)
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Guns, Germs, and Steel
by Jared Diamond
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