2. Debating Cultural Differences: The Last 13,000 Years

Jared Diamond attempts to define why such cultural and technological variances exist between the people of Europe and Asia and the Americas. The ultimate factors he uses to support his arguments can be described as longitudinal and latitudinal. While Eurasia spans a greater distance from east to west, the Americas have a greater distance from north to south. This in turn provided for a greater variety in species for the Eurasians to domesticate due to larger temperant zones. Very few species can be domesticated, therefore the resource was broader in Eurasia. The same theory applies to plant life as well. Given the ability of domesticated plants and animals to spread along this east-west corridor, populations increasingly benefitted from this sustainble source of food and transportaion. This in turn leads to more developed societies who no longer spend most of their time hunting and gathering. These same principles were not true in the Americas. Limited species for domestication prevented the growth of advanced civilizations. A growth of civilizations help foster new technologies; therefore the more cultures and civilizations you have in an area, the broader the benefits to all the people of a region due to sharing of ideas and techniques.
J. M. Blaut argues this is not necessarily true. He believes the true nature of emerging state-like cultures and civilizations can often inhibit the transfer of ideas. These conceived barriers actually impede the movement of people, and as a result restrict the open exchange of new concepts, technologies, etc. He cites such examples as the Chinese, who were essentially isolated from the rest of Eurasia yet were equally advanced in many respects.
It is difficult to ascertain which one is right, Blaut or Diamond. The true answer invariably lies somewhere in the past and we can only speculate as to how various civilizations emerged. Diamond neglects to factor in natural disasters, the effects of total war, religious beliefs and a host of other situations that determine the path humans will follow. To pinpoint only limited causes can be foolish when examining the complex minds of men.