Jared Diamond: The world we live in

The COVID-19 pandemic has been going on for two years, and has changed life significantly. More than 5 million people worldwide have lost their lives to the coronavirus; "lockdown" has become part of the world's common vocabulary and governments and their citizens are still waiting for a "new normal" to emerge. Inequalities have deepened within countries and globally. How should we understand the world we live in through a historical lens? And what will the world be like a few years from now, after this crisis has waned.
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[@hpmoxie4660]

Jared diamond's book, guns, germs and steel, is the the most captivating book I've ever read! Thank you for the interview!

[@justgivemethetruth]

Jared begins talking at 1:22 . Asked why Guns, Germs and Steel has been a worldwide best-seller for 25 years. I prefer "Collapse" myself ... it certainly is more relevant to today's world and it's priorities. I think the reason his book, or say one big reason that book is so popular is that it opened the eyes of regular people about how all different aspects of history and culture affects them today, and the ramifications of that. Some people have claimed this or that aspect of the book is right or wrong, but I think the thing about all great books is that it facilities people perceiving the world and thinking in new ways. GG&S certainly did that for me, even though much of what was in it in some way or another I already knew. JD is one of those writers that I will buy a book by sight unseen, although his last two books had not really affected me as GG&S and Collapse. A really good book of his is "The Third Chimpanzee", it had all those aspects of opening up a new way or seeing and thinking. I look forward to whatever he has to say, or whatever book he writes.

[@sandal_thong8631]

Well, GG&S hits the point home that people are smart everywhere and differences are due mostly to geography. However, in the discussion about Ghana in Africa exporting cocoa for chocolate candy, and whether they could make their own since the locals don't eat it (they'd also have to import both sugar and milk, but I think they could make unsweetened chocolate for export) someone said Africans are too stupid to develop their economies. So I think we have to deal with that ignorance and spread enlightenment about geography as the groundwork of solving regional and world-wide problems.

[@chrishooge3442]

"The strength of a democracy is you can tell the government you are doing a bad job." Anchor quickly changes subject.

[@vif5475]

Always enjoyable watching CGTN.

[@sunnytneoh3126]

Thank you for this program

[@futebolarte3]

We have accumulated a lot of new knowledge about genetics and evolution since this book was written.

[@philchoy2885]

Excellent show.

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

Inca bones are common in Pleistocene human fossils from China, such as Homo erectus pekinensis from Zhoukoudian and archaic Homo sapiens from Dali in Shaanxi, and from Xujiayao and Dingcun in Shanxi. This feature is also seen in early modern humans of Chuandong in Guizhou. The presence of an Inca bone at Shigou provide more evidence that the Inca bone is a regional characteristic of Pleistocene East Asians, which supports the hypothesis of continuity of human evolution in Pleistocene East Asia.

[@blackwarrior7473]

So interesting. Such coincidence? I bought a copy a few days ago and received the book this morning. Ready to read it over the weekend.

[@megthornton1371]

Geopolitics has kept some countries poor Corruption has and is affecting the world He appears to have no idea that the USA is in the grip of corruprion

[@justgivemethetruth]

He works in a university, meets people of all kinds for all kinds of conversations, and he is 10 miles away from Hollywood ... and he's an American. I think he has an idea. Figuring out why he says what he says is an exercise for the listener, but if you just want to try to be superior, go for it.

[@colmangreen6029]

Diamond addresses this in his book Upheaval where he discusses the US political system with its emphasis on lobbying and big donors which is legalised corruption. He argues that decisions are taken in favour of the donors, not benefiting the people.

[@len2063]

Finland have handled covid-19 much better than any other country. And they have world best schools.

[@sandal_thong8631]

I'd heard that about schools, but it would be a tough fight to ban for-profit schools like they did. I learned recently that the rise of private schools in the U.S. largely occurred after integration, as whites didn't want their kids mingling with Black kids.

[@jejh600]

More videos like these please!

[@kailee4056]

Get David Wengrow on!!!

[@ivanho7268]

The success of nation depends the the competencies of leaders who lead their people. Geographical location is a bonus, however, it require competent and visionary leaders to maximise the potentialities. Educations and knowledge add strengths to the quality of the people in charge as well as the work force who can deliver the targeted outcomes. In summary inherited a good hardware is great, however, effective software deliver the results.

[@syncmaster915n]

I like listening to learned people. They see a bigger picture that we human beings are the same. It's things like geographical advantages that make development of different areas of the world different and how we assess the history of it (mistakes and corrections) that differentiate which country is rich, which country is poor.

[@johnkubek4246]

Why are some more prosperous than others? Location, location, location.

[@oxvendivil442]

Geography and climate are always the arbiter, in the end no matter how much the world changes it is only temporary and when it normalizes or when situations turn bad, geography and climate will have the final say in the outcome.

[@backpackly]

Great interview! Love the note at the end on cooperation between the US & China, if both countries were rational we'd work together rather than view each other as enemies. Who would want to mess with a combined alliance between the US & China?

[@minhng7208]

Laos GDP PPP per capita is approximately Vietnam, around USD 8000 in 2020. Laos does not have a coast line and Vietnam has a long coast lien. How do we explain that?

[@chuawantiong7243]

Laos has a smaller population in due time Vietnam will overtake Laos in GDP.

[@Buckzoo2030]

War and self imposed Isolation. Should Vietnam open up like Singapore years again, it should be as rich if not more rich than Taiwan.

[@minhng7208]

@@Buckzoo2030 Partially agreed. The war ended for most Asian countries around 1945-1950. For Vietnam, the US war did not end until 1973 when Paris treaty was signed, on the ground the war did not finish until 1975, then the Pol Pot butchers killed thousands of Vietnamese civilians at the Cambodian Vietnamese border, another war in 1979. Vietnam opened up in 1987, on the verge of the collapse of the Soviet Union, a late but correct policy.

[@justgivemethetruth]

Modernity with its transpiration, communication, education, etc has changed the priority of the factors that Diamond discusses from the past. It seems like you are not very familiar with his book or what it said. For example, it used to be that people had to live in fertile areas to grow food, survive and grow their population, but today with fertilizers, tractors and harvesters the priority of fertile land is less of a factor, and in fact most of the very fertile areas in the world are now degraded or over-farmed. Things change.

[@chuawantiong7243]

@@justgivemethetruth 9u

[@chuawantiong7243]

Does the Thucydides theory have a predictive outcome if the most power country cannot agree to cooperate with the rising power?

[@justgivemethetruth]

Certainly seems relevant.

[@colmangreen6029]

I wonder if geography does play a role in the place where the fate of Western civilisation lies on the scale currently: Ukraine. Putin seems to know his Sun Tzu inside out. What will this winter bring for the AngloSaxon overlords, and will Europe pivot to a last revival as it has done repeatedly through the ages? I don't know of anyone who sees this as a possibility but I like to think out of the box, observing from the safety of my armchair...

[@natbirchall1580]

We should move faster towards a divided world I only see benefits, great competition, and significant development. A new digital world is also coming if we keep trade to shallow items and no essential, security-sensitive, and hi-tech items, it should be a win-win for everybody. Also, other countries like India are rising it will be an exiting time. Cheer up.

[@larryknight6592]

This number on megamillion 11,

[@larryknight6592]

Schizophreinia

[@maungkyaw3519]

USA JANUARY 6TH IS REAL AMERICANS DEMOCRACY???????????????????????????

[@hmeo55]

.

[@stsk1061]

Lol this guy still going on with his hoky theory.

[@justgivemethetruth]

And you with your hokey spelling.

[@stsk1061]

@@justgivemethetruth Have an upvote for the correction

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

you're really poky with your Lol guy theory hoky comment. What is the synonym of poky? messy. nasty. out-of-date. outmoded. poky.