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Title: Geographical determinism?
Review: The information contained in the book is thoroughly researched and enlightening. Diamond's thesis is that modern-day civilization was solely determined by geography. In my favorite sections he gives examples how geography affected plant and animal domestication, and he illustrates how the east-west orientation of Eurasia led to their rapid propogation.The problem with this book, however, is not what it contains, but rather what information it is missing. Diamond never wavers from his thesis even when it has many apparent flaws. He discards the notion of biological/cultural differences affecting the progress of civilizations as "racist" and goes no further. Well, unfortunately the unpleasantness of a theory has nothing to do with whether or not it is true. Diamond owes his readers more than a brief dismissal of ideas which run contrary to his thesis.
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