The Worst Mistake in the History of the the Human Race
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The Worst Mistakein the History of the Human Race
Jared Diamond
What we eat and how we eat are imPortant both nutritionally and culturally. This selection suggests that how we get what we eat-through gathering and hunting versus agriculture, for example-has draThis seemspretty obvious.We all matic consequences. imagine what a struggle it must have been before the We developmentof agricu-lture. think of our ancestors spending their days searching for roots and berries to eat,or out at the crack of dawn, hunting wi.ld animals. isn't In fact, this was not quite the case.Nevertheless, it really better simply to go to the refrigerator, open the door, and reach for a container of milk to pour into a bowl of flaked grain for your regular morning meal? What could be simpler and more nutritious? There are many things that we seldom question; the truth seer$ so evident and the answers obvious. One such sacred cow is the tremendous prosPerity brought about by the agricultural revolution. This selectionis a thought-provoking introduction to the .onnection between culture and agriculture.The tran',ition from food foraging to farming (what archaeoloqists call the Neolithic revolution) may have been the rforst mistake h human history or its most imPortant event. You be the judge. But for better or worse, this tultural evolution has occurred, and the world will neverbe the samea8ain. As you rcad this selection, askyoutself the follouing questions: What is the fundamental differencebetween the progressivistview and the revisionist interpretation? How did the developmentof agriculture affect people'shealth? What three reasonsexplain the changesbrought about by the developmentof agriculture? How did the development of agriculture affect socialequaliry including genderequality? Thefollotoing terms iliscussedin this selectionate includeil in the Glossary at the back of the book: agr icult uraI dmelopment ciztilization of dofiestication plantsandqnimals hunter-gatherers Neolithic
The Worst Mistakein the History of the Human Race
Jared Diamond
What we eat and how we eat are imPortant both nutritionally and culturally. This selection suggests that how we get what we eat-through gathering and hunting versus agriculture, for example-has draThis seemspretty obvious.We all matic consequences. imagine what a struggle it must have been before the We developmentof agricu-lture. think of our ancestors spending their days searching for roots and berries to eat,or out at the crack of dawn, hunting wi.ld animals. isn't In fact, this was not quite the case.Nevertheless, it really better simply to go to the refrigerator, open the door, and reach for a container of milk to pour into a bowl of flaked grain for your regular morning meal? What could be simpler and more nutritious? There are many things that we seldom question; the truth seer$ so evident and the answers obvious. One such sacred cow is the tremendous prosPerity brought about by the agricultural revolution. This selectionis a thought-provoking introduction to the .onnection between culture and agriculture.The tran',ition from food foraging to farming (what archaeoloqists call the Neolithic revolution) may have been the rforst mistake h human history or its most imPortant event. You be the judge. But for better or worse, this tultural evolution has occurred, and the world will neverbe the samea8ain. As you rcad this selection, askyoutself the follouing questions: What is the fundamental differencebetween the progressivistview and the revisionist interpretation? How did the developmentof agriculture affect people'shealth? What three reasonsexplain the changesbrought about by the developmentof agriculture? How did the development of agriculture affect socialequaliry including genderequality? Thefollotoing terms iliscussedin this selectionate includeil in the Glossary at the back of the book: agr icult uraI dmelopment ciztilization of dofiestication plantsandqnimals hunter-gatherers Neolithic