The Divide between Developed and Developing Countries. Why are Some Nations Richer than Others: Culture? I have chosen the above topic as the passage of reading to share on, briefly my thoughts. Economic historian David S. Landes argued that culture played a key role in the development of any region. He believes that the tenets of that culture especially its religion will determine its progress toward development. He supported his claim, by referencing that the history in the development of Germany, Netherlands, Britain, and the United States, is due to the nature and tenets of their early religion [protestant Christianity] which advocated “literacy and time conservation”. Consequently, these societies became very productive, resulting in rapid development (Landes, n.d., quoted in “Globalization 101”, n.d., p. 4, para. 4). I completely concur with this argument; however, I do not hold that it is the only factor, but rather one such contributing element. To further elaborate the point, one need only to look at countries [such as some African and the Middle East territories] where culture has negatively impacted the development of such regions. For example, in most African cultures that are highly patriarchal, women are often considered inferior to men. Also, women and children are often forbidden to take advantages of educational opportunities, making the younger generation unequipped to meet the new global changes and challenges, and, further preventing those [the women]
The world has always persistently evolved into separate and varying communities that differed across the globe. Many researches undertook an effort to establish their own personal beliefs on how these countries advanced into what they are now. In the article “Why Did Human History Unfold Differently On Different Continents For The Last 13,000 Years?” Jared Diamond seeks to provide various explanations regarding different claims that were said to have impacted the different rates of growth of these countries. He argues that human history developed at different rates due to proximate factors stemming from having an East/West axis versus a North/South axis. He also leads on to inform his audience about various circumstances that have allowed certain groups to develop at different rates including domesticating crops and animals, proximity to other groups, and technological innovations that has permitted Eurasians to develop at a faster rate than
Theories of globalization present a more difficult task for Beyer, as he must not only establish what globalization is, but religion’s place within it. He explores the problem in various ways through the rest of the first part of the book. Beyer rests his analysis upon the work of Luhmann primarily, but also that of Immanuel Wallerstein, John Meyer, and Roland Robertson. Using Luhmann, Beyer resolves the theoretical debate of whether globalization is a homogenization of all particularities under a common social rubric or a simpler transformation of
Countries have different endowments. Differing climates give advantages to the production of different crops. Differing histories and inclinations result in different advantages in finance, skills and manufacturing.
Development in the West did not occur until later in American History. Although the West was seen as a large desert, the West quickly became the target behind the expansionist campaigns of the United States during the 18th century. Many settlers travelled to the West, dreaming of the idea of opportunities. Although factors such as Native Americans, motivations and railroads played a large role in shaping the West, their influence came about only as the result of the inherent economic potential of the region, as well as the incredibly diverse climate which outnumbered all else in the development in the West.
The author rephrased the question as: “Why did human development proceed at such different rates on different continents?”
America is becoming a third world country whether citizens want to believe it or not. Over the years, our country has been struggling economically, physically, and socially. Our economy went through a recession in 2009. Many citizens lost their jobs and many businesses started cutting wages for workers. Since then, our country has not been the same thriving superpower it once was. People from other countries have visited America and claimed America looks like a third word country (Marshall). How does this make American citizens feel? On April 14, 2015 the census bureau announced that 93,175,000 citizens of working age are not in the workforce because of how difficult it is to get a job (Roberts). Many roads, railroads, bridges and other structures go unrepaired for years resulting in a need to be replace them instead of just repairing (Marshall). America is becoming a third world country due to the infrastructure, income issues with citizens, violence, and the candidates running for president.
The book by Jared Diamond “Guns, Germs and Steel” outlines a brief history, of how countries and groups of people became more prosperous and powerful through history. The book is focused on Diamond’s theory, of “Guns, Germs and Steel”; he argues that guns, germs and steel are the three main reasons for different countries rise to power. That being said the theory also places a tremendous amount of weight on the geographical attributes that certain groups of people had at their disposal, which allow for technological advances. Through this concept, Diamond in his theory attempts to demonstrate that prosperous groups of people through out history is not based on sheer intelligence and the different intellectual levels of people. He then looks at the advantages that different regions where given based initially on their geography. Such that China was unified much earlier in its history then Europe, due to there are less geographic barriers in China than Europe, therefore making communication easier between regions in China. Diamonds theory does go on to explain many of the worlds power differences
Wright refutes this idea describing it as a ‘progress trap’. Progress traps are created by the overuse of natural resources, too much faith in religion, and natural short comings. Past societies, such as the Roman Empire and the Aztecs, structured their culture around progress and economic growth,
In the book Guns, Germs and Steels, Jared Diamond illuminates how and why the human societies of different continents followed widely divergent pathways of development over the past 13,000 years. In the preface of the article, Diamond mainly demonstrates the problem about what cause the huge disparities between Euraisa and the rest of the world. Among the various answers to this complicated question, the easiest one is to attribute these differences, mainly of human technology and culture, to the inherent differences in the minds and bodies of the various peoples. However, Diamond refutes this point of view, and, instead, he puts forward that the roots of inequality in modern world lie in differences among peoples’ environments. To support
The historical book Gun, Germs, and Steel written by Jared Diamond explains a variety of different themes as to why the world came to be as it is today. The differences in technology and advances differing between other countries. Why is Eurasia more advanced and innovated than other continents like, the Americas? Why didn’t every country develop to an equal pace in advancement? Diamond’s major theme is that environmental differences influenced the differences in the world’s society’s not different human intellectuals. He illustrates how agriculture, geography, and diseases influenced these changes.
Global civilization is a phenomenon that is complex. Various civilizations experienced different effects with regard to development. Food production, poverty, economic, and technological advancements are all related to how each society was civilized. This paper responds to the questions raised from the books “Guns, Germs, and Steel” by Jared Diamond; “The Origins of the Modern World: A Global and Ecological Narrative from the Fifteenth to the 21st Century” by Robert Marks; “A History of the World in Six Glasses,” by Tom Standage; and the “Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System” by Raj Patel.
Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond is a thought-provoking book that looks for an explanation as to why some societies are more substantially successful than others. Diamond explains, this is a study of history’s “haves” and “have nots.” The author makes many compelling arguments that indicates the difference between human societies is not because of differences with the intelligence of different people, but the differences in their environments. Diamond argues Eurasia has always been more materially successful because the Eurasian land mass and environment has obvious natural advantages. He supports his argument by explaining three major points,there were more varieties of grains for large scale farming, more species of large animals could
What Frank lacked in the idea of culture in the Rise of the West is given credit for by David Landes. Landes believes the Rise of the West occurred mainly because of European’s innovative culture after 1000 C.E. that led it to transform world power during the Industrial Revoltion. (pg.4) Landes’ argument that innovative minds of Europe helped in creating the superpower
All institutions within society facilitate communication, and in that way, they all contribute to the creation, spread, and evolution of culture (Crouch, 2008). When Christians speak of engaging with culture it usually means consuming culture with discernment. We teach one another how to analyze and evaluate culture in its myriad forms. The only way to change culture is to create more of it” (Crouch, 2008, p. 66) This is right and important. We are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds so we are not
Economic growth is a necessary but not sufficient condition of economic development. There is no single definition that encompasses all the aspects of economic development. The most comprehensive definition perhaps of economic development is the one given by Todaro: ‘Development is not purely an economic phenomenon but rather a multi – dimensional process involving reorganization and re orientation of the entire economic and social system. Development is a process of improving the quality of all human lives with three equally important aspects. These are: 1.