Colapso: Por qué unas sociedades perduran y otras desaparecen

This book was groundbreaking - I actually started this book in order to explore how societies have flourished and vanished over the course of the years. I expected to receive an overview of all factors, politically, economically and environmentally. However, Jared Diamond only concentrates to the environmentally factors - not only limiting himself to the disasters (Eastern Island, Maya's and the Anasazi) but also the success stories (the Tokugawa Japanese).

However, Jared not only limits himself to the history, but also drawes conclusions for our present. He shows us that we are facing the same disaster that happened upon our ancestors and in a few decades our modern world will face the same issues that were faced by the above called cultures.

Jared strongly focuses upon the fact that we need to take the matters in our own hands in order to be able to transfer our world to our children.

This was an outcome that I did not expect in this book, but has changed my attitude towards my own environment. It's not too late (although it's 5 minutes before midnight) but we need to act NOW.

We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children

Terrifying how often the pattern of exploitation of nature and decline of cultures has repeated itself.

The fitting additional book to Diamonds work "Guns Germs and Steel" offers past and present scenarios of various environmental conditions and the mastery or miserable failure of the peoples trying to master the challenge. Especially in isolated societies, where the socio-cultural aspect is much more emphasized by the absence of invaders or other disturbing factors, the processes leading to the formation of today's ruins or prosperous cities are described.

As a classic positive example, Iceland, which counters the desolation of the climate zone and infertility of barren landscapes with strong community feeling and intelligent farming, can be named. Other isolated island states, such as Easter Island and other ghost islands, have been caught in the throes of social degeneration and driven to self-destruction by meaningless, prestigious or religiously driven construction projects, civil wars, exploitation of natural resources to the collapse of the ecosystem, or a bit of this and that mixed up together.

Often there was an old tradition of proven survival strategies on the failed island states, but their practice was mostly forgotten or ignored in the course of the delusion, resulting in the collapse of the social system and the extinction of the tribe.

How the authors' theses could be applied to the history of the development of more significant, continental nations would be highly enjoyable. This would probably be far too far-reaching and hypothetical because of the added complexity, which is why Diamond didn´t mention it, but it would make a great, new research area. The factors that are taken into account, such as climate change, hostile neighbors, environmental destruction, breaking an alliance or loss of support from friendly neighbors and, as a decisive factor, the reaction of the population and ruling caste, already present a high potential for complexity. Therefore, it would no longer be concluded with scientific seriousness by introducing additional factors such as in the case of the Roman Empire or other fallen empires.

It is noteworthy that the scheme of slow degeneration through creeping degradation of cultural as well as naturally given resources can strike both relatively primitive, almost Stone Age societies as unexpectedly as highly developed and militarily nearly unbeatable empires. Despite the admonishers of the respective time, fanaticism and megalomania became the leading motive and in hindsight apparent nonsensical and self-destructive mechanisms leaked into politics until it was accepted as usual and criticism was negated until the downfall.

At this point, it makes sense to see the accordances with the present and to illustrate the classic repetition of the history using various examples. Thus, even after dozens of vivid and illustrative learning examples from the history of what one should avoid as a state, the same, actually, precisely recognizable mistakes are committed today.
Whether it is negligent, irreversible environmental destruction, political destabilization until to the collapse of state and social order, including genocide and targeted destruction of infrastructure until relapse into archaic forms of government and theocracy, there is a wide range of patterns.

Their use seems to be so desirable to humanity that repeated attempts can no longer be construed as just perseverance. But instead, as ignorance and incompetence of elites, to whom a brief reading of any historical atlas could give numerous examples of the futility of their present action. The big and anxious question after completing the book remains whether we, as a society, may have not jumped on the wrong train for far too long. One that not only directs individual islands, regions or states, as described in the book, but the entire planet and the civilization living on it, on a path into the abyss.

A wiki walk can be as refreshing to the mind as a walk through nature in this completely overrated real-life outside books:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_D...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collaps...

Should be required reading for anyone running for office, or for anyone voting. The list of reasons for why societies collapse are all things that are happening now in our country, not to mention throughout the world.

Diamond is well qualified to write this as he is Professor of Geography at the University of California. In this book he looks at the reasons why some societies survive and others fail.
The first chapter of the book considers Montana, it seems slightly odd as this is still a functioning state, but it has dropped to 49th in the state income chart from one of the top earners. It has always been a mining and logging state and is blessed with some of the most beautiful landscape. And yet there are underlying problems there; mine owners that have extracted the ore and have not considered the costs incurred with clean up; forests fires that proper management would reduce but that the local population won’t consider; invasion of non native species that have in certain case devastated local species, and so on. Part of the reason for the decline is people who live there temporarily and are not prepared to be part of the local community by paying taxes, but still want the landscape to remain as it is. Montana is dependent upon external monies coming in now, and if those were to dry up, then its circumstances will become perilous.
Diamond looks at the evidence for Easter Island that suggests the reason for its decline was that the local population had eaten all the native animals and felled all the trees. This led to rapid erosion of the soils and further degradation of the landscape. By this time the natives had been contacted by Europeans, who bought with the diseases such as small pox, and their fate was sealed.
Diamond then expands these theories of societies collapsing by looking at The Pitcairn Islands, The Chaco and the Maya. All of these had substantial populations in their time, and either had consumed most or all or their resources locally, or were living at the limit of what the environment could sustain. All it took was a shock of some form, i.e. a drought, and the population would take a dip, either temporarily or permanently.
The next three chapters look at the Vikings. Most people know of the violent expansion of these Scandinavian people into England and France, but they also established settlements in Iceland and Greenland. They arrived there just as the climate was favourable, and brought with them their farming techniques from Europe. The environment there is very fragile, and with the import of livestock to the land stripped back the trees and the grass. This led to significant erosion of the landscape and made a perilous existence even more susceptible to shock. They failed to learn from the Inuit people, who used the local resources sustainably. The Norse are still there in Iceland, but parts of the landscape there have been devastated.
The third section of the book looks at the state that some modern societies are in; China, Australia, Rwanda, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Each of these have particular problems from over population to corruption to serious environmental issues. For each there is a detailed description of the problems that they have got, either of their own making, or because of external factors like weather.
The final section is about how we as a planet can deal with these problems. He gives examples of oil companies who now routinely start with the best environmental methods as they know it saves them money in the long term, gives them credibility and more opportunities. He compares these to mining companies who frankly couldn’t give a monkeys, and who use all the political clout they have to pass all the cleanup costs to the state, even to the point of declaring bankruptcy to avoid these costs and staring a new company soon after.
He then list the twelve points that he thinks will have to be resolved, note not solved, as he thinks that these may be resolved by violence and war. He detail two of the organizations that are trying to put in place sustainable organizations, and showed that consumers are aware of them, and what they are trying to achieve.
He sees see some hope though. Humanity would not have got this far if we had always eradicated ourselves at each stage. That said, he does realise that we are at the point where our action will affect millions of people unless we do something soon.
This was an interesting read. Diamond has written a comprehensive book detailing all manner of reason why a society fades or suddenly ends. Even though I found it fascinating, I have only given it three stars as it is now out of date, and I feel could not do with being re written. I have one of his other books on my shelf, and I aim o read that soon.
The book can be summed up though by the American Indian quote: “When the Last Tree Is Cut Down, the Last Fish Eaten, and the Last Stream Poisoned, You Will Realize That You Cannot Eat Money”

Extraordinary in scope. Makes the news far more interesting even than it already was. However, I withhold star 5 because someone should have run the manuscript by me. Many awkward sentences. Too many sentences that aren't, quite. Or that aren't by a long shot. Penguin? Editors? Anyone? Such a noble and otherwise impressive undertaking deserves better care before reaching the public. But yes. A grand and very fine book indeed.

Jared is one of my favorite professors in his fields, he keeps his shit together with much integrity and when in doubt, he announce

The book title speak for itself, I believe that it's a pleasant read never the less, recommend for anybody who wanna know the fate of some of the old civilizations..and the impending doom of the current ones..

Drink Tea..

If I could give this negative stars I would. Just another example of Jared Diamond writing a book on something he doesn't know anything about, and spinning narratives that are harmful and dangerous into palatable books for public consumption.

Turns out that Diamond was simply passing along received wisdom about Easter Island that has been refuted by subsequent researchers and scholars.

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His story about the conquest of the Incas by the Spanish has also been pre-empted by fresh scholarship. This documentary explains.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JZKU...