Blog Entry #2

I agree with Jared Diamonds thesis of geographic luck leading to the Europeans conquering of the world. to me it makes perfect sense, in all humans across the globe your going to have a range of smart to dumb, and all of them but a few will be ignorant. so the only reason why a certain culture would advance, would be that it was given the opportunity to do so. that opportunity being a surplus of food, created by farmable plants and domesticatable animals leading to artists, specialists, entertainers politicians, leaders, and rulers being fed. then those people advance the culture farther, and more people stay in communities and farm more, and a cycle begins which creates an advanced civilization.

1. Advantages and Disadvantages of Farming

I believe that the advantages of agriculture and farming definitely out way the disadvantages. The main advantage being complex and organized civilizations fully functioning economies, which leads to a growing population being more prosperous than a still hunting and gathering one. If everyone with their own farm can stay still and create a permanent home with neighbors, that forms communities. Plus farming creates a surplus so you also end up having economies that reward and sustain technological developments. The only disadvantages i can think of are diseased crops=whole field dead, wild animals getting your crops, and moving if needed is very hard, however the surplus kind of takes care of most of that.