Diamond postulates five primary sets of factors consisting of: 1) damage people inadvertently inflict on their environment, 2) climate change, 3) hostile neighbors, 4) decreased support from friendly neighbors, 5) the society's response to the problems. Diamond is careful not to cite a single reason for any collapse, but rather does a solid job of drawing together the varying elements and their collective impact on the society.
Collapse is long and, bluntly, at times a bleak and repetitive read, however Diamond exhibits a solid grasp of his subject, drawing out the particular threads and weaving them together into a coherent and compelling, if depressing, whole. The key role of how societies interact with the environment in their various states of social disintegration is chillingly convincing, particularly the well-documented collapse of Easter Island and the connections that Diamond draws between the factors such as deforestation, environmental stress, and ecological breakdown.
The implications for the near future for modern society are clear and stark—it is choice. Interestingly enough, Diamond refuses to rest as a Cassandra-like prophet of doom and gloom, and spends the remainder of the book carefully examining the tremendous success stories that are also in evidence.
After all the last thing that flew out of Pandora's Box was hope.
Interested in learning more about Easter Island? Check out Rapa Nui, the Navel of the World here, here and here.
Investigate the lost Vikings of Greenland here or read Archaology's online article.
Live in the American South-west? Learn more about the Anasazi and the Chaco Canyon civilization (including their sophisticated astronomical observatories).
Check out the Maya at this site, or learn about Mayan culture at Rabbit in the Moon.
Found this review useful? Please visit BookLinker for more great reviews!
Comments, links and feedback are always welcome. Working on the six degrees of separation theory, someone who knows someone who knows someone please impose on Instapundit for a link to BookLinker, I'd love to see the traffic levels rise!
Thanks for reading!
Article comments
1 - Tan The Man
I've been meaning to read Collapse. Guns, Germs and Steel was a really good and in-depth book.
2 - SFC SKI
I still haven't read this, but after seeing an interview on C-Span's BookTV, I really want to.
3 - DrPat
There are other reviews of this book here on BlogCritics: mine and Gregg Chadwick's. It's interesting that we all take essentially the same view of Diamond's book!
4 - Eric Berlin
Nice job, Deano. Your take (along with DrPat's) seems to be right on. I'm always fascinated by how Diamond ties environmental issues into historical accounts and sociological developments.