Humans and the environment [to be expanded with lesson] Flashcards
Which author wrote Guns, Germs and Steel?
Jared Diamond
What was the effect of Eurasia’s orientation on Humans of Eurasia?
The east-west orientation contained many areas with latitudes and climates suited for agriculture, and the east-west orientation gave many opportunities for interaction between peoples on (war, trade, disease) between Eurasian people.
How did agriculture change human societies
All humans traditionally participated in hunter-gathering. Societies had little sophistication. Agriculture made it possible to feed those who did not engage in food production. Society could therefore specialize in various administrative, military, economic, and technological activity.
How did agriculture affect technological development?
What did Guns, Germs, and Steel Argue
What was Eurasia’s orientation compared to the America’s
Eurasia was wide– east-west,
North America was thin, following a north-south orientation.
Why couldn’t north and South Americans domestic large animals?
Many, such as the bison, were too aggressive (intractable) to be tamed.
What were the key large animals domesticated in Eurasia
Cow, sheep, pig, goat, horse. These species were tamed and selectively bred from wild ancestors
What did large domestic animals provide humans?
Sources of food, hides, transportation, and labour
What animal pathogens affect humans or have spread to humans?
Rabies, –Flu (pigs, ducks), Tuberculosis,, sleeping sicknesses, measles (Cattle), Smallpox (camels)
Why were Eurasians’ immune systems strong?
Sustained contact with diseases from crowded cities and sustained contact with animals over thousands of years meant Eurasian immune systems had developed strong resistance
What was Jared Diamond’s main argument?
The success of Eurasians and Europeans was due to a combination of biology and geography. Eurasians had superior technology/weapons and stronger immune systems than people of the Americas.
Natives of the Americas were outmatched technologically and decimated by disease brought by Europeans
Beyond generating and using energy from the environment, What animals are similar to humans in their relationships to the environment?
1) Wolves, in that they are both capable of exhausting their environment’s capacity, leading to boom and bust cycles of population
2) Beavers, in that they are both able to alter their environments
How does human’s technological ability differ from animals?
Humans are different from primitive animal technologies using stones and sticks, in that humans are able to combine technologies into complex ones and apply outside forces (fire, water) to create more complex ones
How did technology affect where humans lived worldwide?
Clothing, shelter, and hunting tools allowed humans to survive in harsher and colder environments.
