COLLAPSE: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed FIRST EDITION Jared Diamond

Description: COLLAPSE: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed FIRST EDITION Jared Diamond “While he planned the book, Diamond at first thought that it would deal only with human impacts on the environment. Instead, what has emerged is arguably the most incisive study of senescing human civilizations ever written. ... the fact that one of the world's most original thinkers has chosen to pen this mammoth work when his career is at his apogee is itself a persuasive argument that Collapse must be taken seriously. It is probably the most important book you will ever read.” -Tim Flannery, Science — Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed is a 2005 book by academic and popular science author Jared Diamond, in which the author first defines collapse: "a drastic decrease in human population size and/or political/economic/social complexity, over a considerable area, for an extended time." He then reviews the causes of historical and pre-historical instances of societal collapse—particularly those involving significant influences from environmental changes, the effects of climate change, hostile neighbors, trade partners, and the society's response to the foregoing four challenges. It also considers why societies might not perceive a problem, might not decide to attempt a solution, and why an attempted solution might fail. While the bulk of the book is concerned with the demise of these historical civilizations, Diamond also argues that humanity collectively faces, on a much larger scale, many of the same issues, with possibly catastrophic near-future consequences to many of the world's populations. Diamond says Easter Island provides the best historical example of a societal collapse in isolation. In the prologue, Jared Diamond summarizes his methodology in one paragraph: This book employs the comparative method to understand societal collapses to which environmental problems contribute. My previous book (Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies), had applied the comparative method to the opposite problem: the differing rates of buildup of human societies on different continents over the last 13,000 years. In the present book focusing on collapses rather than buildups, I compare many past and present societies that differed with respect to environmental fragility, relations with neighbors, political institutions, and other "input" variables postulated to influence a society's stability. The "output" variables that I examine are collapse or survival, and form of the collapse if collapse does occur. By relating output variables to input variables, I aim to tease out the influence of possible input variables on collapses. — In Jared Diamond’s follow-up to the Pulitzer-Prize winning Guns, Germs and Steel, the author explores how climate change, the population explosion and political discord create the conditions for the collapse of civilization. Diamond is also the author of Upheaval: Turning Points for Nations in Crisis Environmental damage, climate change, globalization, rapid population growth, and unwise political choices were all factors in the demise of societies around the world, but some found solutions and persisted. As in Guns, Germs, and Steel, Diamond traces the fundamental pattern of catastrophe, and weaves an all-encompassing global thesis through a series of fascinating historical-cultural narratives. Collapse moves 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. 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 this groundbreaking work, Jared Diamond, renowned academic and popular science author, delves into the intricate tapestry of societal collapses, unveiling the factors that lead to their demise. Originally envisioned as an exploration of human impacts on the environment, the book transcends its initial scope, becoming a profound study of civilizations' senescence. Diamond's meticulous analysis defines collapse as a drastic decrease in population size and/or political, economic, and social complexity over an extended time and considerable area. The book scrutinizes historical and pre-historical instances of societal collapse, weaving together the influences of environmental changes, climate change, hostile neighbors, and the society's response to these challenges. Diamond skillfully examines why societies might overlook problems, refrain from attempting solutions, or see their efforts fail. While rooted in the disintegration of historical civilizations, the narrative extends its gaze to the contemporary world, warning of potentially catastrophic consequences for global populations. Drawing on examples like Easter Island, Diamond crafts a compelling argument and methodology. He employs the comparative method, comparing past and present societies with variations in environmental fragility, relations with neighbors, political institutions, and other factors. The goal is to discern the impact of these variables on a society's stability and understand the dynamics of collapse. — Includes index. Social history - Case studies. Social change - Case studies. Environmental policy - Case studies.

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End Time: 2024-12-12T05:04:07.000Z

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