Quote:
Originally posted by bilmore
I hate studies - of any theme - in which the author starts with her desired conclusion and then manipulates the data to get there. See global warming.
But Diamond is really a weird free thinker. I first got into his "The Worst Mistake In Human History" essay (title may be somewhat off) in which he posits, and supports, that the advent of agriculture was the ruination of mankind. He was a prof of biology, and then a prof of physiology, and then a prof of geography. Renaissance kind of guy.
And, I've been away for months. Just back tonight, really.
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Just back for tonight or just back starting tonight? You should come by once Spanky has read Collapse, for our discussion of it.
I liked Collapse better than GG&S, but I think it was partially because Diamond's writing style was improved (imo) in Collapse. GG&S was a bit of a beat over the head with the premise and major determinative factors over and over again, leading me to feel like he didn't trust his audience to get it. I think his theories in GG&S were brilliant and well-thought out, but that the flow of the book kind of dumbed it down for the anticipated audience or something.
I found his discussion style in Collapse to be more engaging and, with the exception of the Greenland Norse discussion, not so bogged down in beating people over the head with things that it lost parts of the message. I liked the "case study" organization of the first chapters, followed by modern lessons and the like.
I keep meaning to make it over to the Collapse exhibit at the LA Natural History Museum. I think it goes on until February and I promise I'll go and report back. The GG&S series on PBS was quite good, though, as Spanky points out, his verbal affectation is a bit distracting.
