Sorry for the delay. Wanted to give everyone amble time to get in depth with the reading. I will be in Manhattan all week if anyone needs to meet in person for any reason. I am happy to see so many of the students engaged, even if it is just a little. Let anyone know that has not already signed up to do so and make sure you are staying on top of your reading.
Engage in the following question: Why do you think Diamond hypothesized that New Guineans might be , on the average , "smarter" than Westerners?
30 comments:
mr.faralley how long do we have until we can answer the Discussion question?????????
The way I see it, Diamond hypothesized that the New Guineans might be, on the average, "smarter" than the Westerners because he had found out that there have been cave paintings in the New Guinea area that dated back to around the time the cro-mognons had cave paintings. He also found that the New Guineans had by far earliest watercraft. They got a head start. This era was called the big Leap forward because the population if the New Guineans rose very quickly due to the quick adaptions towards the new islands being filled. So thats why I think he made that hypothesis.
He made this point to show that even though the Europeans colinized and now rule their island it's not because they are smarter. It just because of the weapons and the big differences in lifestyles that let them take over even though New Gineans are clearly a smarter people.
The reason why Diamond might hypothesized the new Guienas as "smarter" is that they live in a harsh enviroment, where only the stronger, and smart pass down, and are able to create a new generation, that in turn becomes stronger, and more intellengent. Their enviroment can kill off stupidity or weakness.
Westerners as soo hypnotized by fickle things like hollywood, and material things that there is no reason for there to be any type of intellegence or strength. While New Guinea children and teenagers spend their times bonding and learning with their elders, Westner children and teenagers lock themselves in their room to glue their eyes to the tv, so much that they learn bad habits and ignorance. Become over wieght and phyiscally unhealthy. Worry about clothing over survival.
Mostly likely a New Guinea community is extremely tight-nit, while a westerner community is one that accuses others most of the time, extremely un-trusting and broken up.
Their techonology is extremely advance for a community that has basically been untouched so long before the "discovery" of the Europeans, who in turn (in my opinion england for the most part), were barbaric and only through years of cultral diffussion uncovered such "power",and still maintain a facist outlook when in reality they were so behind in techonology before their trade route with other nations; their middle ages was a weck, they questioned and broke off from each other, even on something as pure blind faith in religion. Could they have the upper hand on any one of they places they so-called "discovered"?
Of course not, not nearly intellgent, sauvy, or cunning.
Wow o__O that was long! A++++ for me!!!! Sorry if i hogged it all.
I believe that Diamond Believes the new Guineans are smarter because they needed technological advances to spread across the world.New Guinea is an island and to get of Quickly populated islands you need boats.Overpopulation and environmental features caused New Guineans to prosper.
What chapter should we be up to Mr.
Diamond explains that New Guineans are smarter then Westerners in terms of survival. Westerners are intellectually superior to the New Guineans. However If the world was a jungle, westerners would not know how to survive.New Guineans, on the other hand, would know exactly what to do, since they live in a jungle terrain. Thus they have a better chance of survival. Their better chance of survival is the determining factor when you consider who is smarter.
I think Diamond hypothesized that New Guineans might be smarter than the Westerners, because they could learn really quickly and be able to survive in many of the world’s harsh conditions. Some conditions they had to face includes living in the jungle and in the wilderness. New Guineans could make shelter just in a few minutes and could gather food really quickly. Although the Guineans do not have modern technology to help them with their daily life, they are able to reason for themselves; this shows that they think for themselves rather than depending on modern devices, such as washing machines, etc. Because Westerners do less work and less thinking, they are less hardworking and brilliant. Sadly, New Guineans geographical location is not really rewarding. Unlike places such as the Fertile Crescent in the Middle East which provides people with fertile soil for agricultural benefits and vast amount of water for fishing. New Guinea didn’t have that advantage. Their climate is very dry continuously throughout the year that farmers could not grow as much crops as they needed to supply themselves. Guineans grew crops that have really low protein and not rewarding to their bodies. Surprisingly, archeologists believe that New Guineans have been farming for at least 10,000 years. They are one of the earliest farmers in the world. Hunting for animals and for food requires the Guineans to have certain skills, which Westerners clearly don’t have, because meat and poultry is purchased from a local supermarket. That’s why I think Diamond thinks New Guineans are “smarter” than Westerners.
I believe that Diamond hypothesized that the New Guineans were as smart as average Westerners is because even though the New Guineans weren't familiar with the modern civilization in their era they still survived in their own worlds. The New Guineans didn’t have enough materials or weapons but they would survive if their was a “survive contest” among them and the westerners because they were more experienced to the hunting environment. New Guineans survived and settle their lives quit well. I believe that the westerners took advantage of the New Guineans intelligence and made them seem less intelligent in our eyes because the new Guinean didn't know how to speak up. The New Guineans are smarter because they learn how to survive when introduce to new customs by Westerners effortlessly and they learned how to survive in the cruel environment.
Well Diamond states the New Guineans are on the average, "smarter" then Westerners by the progress they show in conditions very different from that of the Westerners. A large portion of New Guinea's terrain is covered by desert and it's isolated. Yet with these disadvantages, New Guineans managed to have the earliest watercraft in the world. They also made cave paintings earlier than the Cro-Magnons in Europe. New Guineans also possessed fully developed hunting skills unlike the Westerners who's ancestors had poor hunting skills and improved at a slower rate. The factors that cause this are that Modern European and American children spend their time watching television while New Guinean children don't have that kind of opportunities so they spend their time being active. As Diamond said himself, " I am constantly aware of how stupid I look to New Guineans when I'm with them in the jungle, displaying my imcompetence at simple tasks at which New Guineans have been trained since childhood and I have not." This is why Diamond hypothesized that New Guineans are on average "smarter" than Westerners.
To me that statement means that usually when people have a lot of resources they go crazy and and waste it all. But if you have resources that can be wasted people tend to become more smarter with how they use what they have. Like how we recycle material to conserve the resources that we have so that we can figure out a way to make more. Europeans get their resources from other countries back when they conquered them so they didn't care. But the other countries that were conquered even though their lands were raped from every resource they had they still conserved most of what they had so that they can live another day.
I believe that Diamond is trying to say that the westerners are stupid because they have not gotten to the technology like the Eurasia people do. It did take a while for them to be domesticated but also they did not settle down and farm. Westerners haven't evolve from guns, germs, and steel as quickly as eurasian people have. "It's easy to recognize two reason why my impression that New Guineans are smarter than Westerners may be correct. First, europeans have for thousands of years been living in densely populated socities with central governments, police, and judiciaries. In those societies, infectious epidemic diseases of dense populations(such as smallpox) were historically the major cause of death, while murders were relatively uncommon and a state of war was the exception rather than rule."(page 20,last paragraph) This quote is saying that westerners aren't as smart as the eurasian people. Eurasia was dense population and they went through everything that happpens in life,guns, germs, and steel. This all happen while the westerners were to busy doing something else. In other terms Diamond is saying that the eurasian people took there time wisely doing other things then westerners who took a long time to develop.
Diamond hypothesized that New Guineans might be smarter than the Westerners because like Amador explained New Guineans had the use of watercraft which caused colonization of new lands unplanned and simultaneously. To do so they had to adapt and use the resources in the land they get so the people that are living in it won't die out. After one piece of land was colonized they kept voyage and did the same thing again. Also, unlike the Westerners the New Guineans left traces of themselves and of their technology. Some technologies like paintings and crude tools (weapons).
sorry i have not got on Mr. Faralley.. Diamond hypothesized That the New Guineans might be, on the average, "smarter" than the westerners for several reasons. One is the ability of the New Guineans to survive in the jungle that the westerners don't have. During their childhood New Guineans spend all their time in the out doors learning different skills, while the westerners stood home, indoors doing nothing but be lazy. Second is that The New Guineans already had cave paintings as did the westerners during the time of the cro-mognons. That sets them in a different level. Another reason is that New Guinea is and island. The new Guineans needed transportation. Because of this they invented the earliest watercraft. they were traveling on the seas before westerners. Therefore when it comes interaction and adaption to environment, paintings on caves during early times, and sea transportations the New Guineans are "smarter".
Diamond may have hypothesized that the New Guineans might be, on average, "smarter" than the Westerners, simply because they seem to be more advanced(technology wise).
But it seems that that it's the only reason why they were considered "smarter".
They didn't have much to do with those who were near.
And farming for 10,000 years?
What about hunting? But I do find it rather hard to hunt big mammals with the tools that they were using at the time.
I do not find that to be "smart".
But my opinion is not Diamonds, and if Diamond thinks that New Guineans is considered "smarter" than Westerners, than shall be it.
That's why it's just an hypothesis, a guess, not fact.
Unfortunately, I had to read the book twice because a) i forgot about it and b) i didnt understand some of it. in yalis question it said that new guineas people are smarter because they could manuever the technology that westerners hasd. that made me think this could be true because they could handle it, they just cant own it to to their economic ranking. it also says somewhere that at one time they had the best technology but ever since their development rate decreased. also since they had limited contact to the rest of the world, they created their own tool. i remember mr.whitehead stated that european conquest flourished their technology because they would take the ideas of the enemy. pretty short i think. here i am. about to read again. im up to the first REAL chaper. errr. oh well. i got a month. bye guys.
-OG
I think thay Diamond might have meant. Even though the New Guieans didn't have the avdanced techology that the westerns have the still, the animals that some of the western world had at the time they didn't catch any epedemics that came to the western world.
Diamond hypothesized that the New Guineans might be on average smarter than the Westerners for several reasons. First of all, New Guineans had the technology needed to travel over waters to New Guinea. They had the earliest watercraft which provided the means to travel to the island unlike the Westerners who did not. Secondly, the New Guineans were creating cave paintings as early as the Cro-Magnons who were Westerners. And lastly beacause, the New Guineans were very flexible and they were able to well adapt to a new and different environment on the island of New Guinea. Therefore, Diamond's theory may be in fact true because of the means to populate the island through watercraft, the early skill of cave painting, and having the ability to adjust to a dissimilar environment which shows that the New Guineans may be in fact "smarter" than the Westerners.
My goodness. It is always so difficult for me to log into this blogspot thing. GRRR. But here I am regardless. Sorry Mr. Farrelly, but with SEO programming and the amount of work they gave me (this is not an excuse I swear), I couldn't get to read the book for a while; but I'm starting again so hopefully I can reach to where everyone else might be.
Diamond hypothesized the intellectual superiority of the New Guineans to the Westerners, due to the environmental differences, and how each group adjusted to them and made their lifestyle. The New Guineans, for example, resides in a more densely populated area compared to the Europeans. So the population rate is too low in the area of New Guinea for any epidemics or diseases to evolve,and unlike the Westerners, the New Guineans weren't genetically selected to be immune to epidemics or diseases.This lead the New Guineans to discover ways to vanquish the tribulations that took place in their society, such as murder, chronic tribal warfare, accidents, and also the diffciulty of obtaining food. Through experience and slowly getting adjusted to the environment and the lifestyle, the New Guineans developed dexterity within their tools and fundamental importance.
Hence the Europeans on the other hand, were "gifted" with the natural selection of genes to survive the epidemics and diseases. With no self-work involved into survival, the Europeans learnt nothing, vanquished nothing, but are ineradicably thought of as being superior.
New Guinean children spend most of their time out in the nature, with their friends and family, talking or playing. Interaction and communication in my perception is the best way to learn and gain experience, and through New Guinean chilren being so active, they learn much of morals and even academic aspects. European kids, the modern ones in particular, spend way too much of their time being absorbed into inactive and passive entertainments, such as televisions and computers. Without enough interaction with other kids or adults, there is a lack of communication, as well as the possibility for obesity or physical breakdown. In both physical and intellect, the New Guineans are in a much higher and superior state than Westerners. Even with reasonable arguements that New Guineans, on average might be more intellectual than Westerners, the civilizations that formed governments and "invented" tools maintain to have a very solipsistic view on their nation, although a lot of us believe in otherwise.
he showed that the new guineans had a superior intellect compared to the westerners due to the fact that they had it harder in order to survive. since they had a jungle for an enviorment and the westerners didn't, they had to overcome much more. they also had some very advanced technology and also adaptations to the increasingly growing population. some examples of advanced technology was the watercraft which allowed them to travel which was an adaptaion to the enviorment. another was the cave paintings which showed that their knowledge was growing. so new guineans were smarter because they had to overcome isolation harsh enviorments and were able to adapt using their own technology something that the westerners didnt do them selves having more supplies.
Diamond hypotheses that the new guienas might be smater than the westerns is because of mutiple reason. the first reason that diamond's hypothesis is corrct is because of the islotaion of their geographic reasons but, are still able to suvive because of competion. The westerns are not isloated but, they do not compete with themselves. A second reason reason is because the new guieans adpated to thier surrondings and made more advanced tenchology. The third reason because of their invention of the watercraft which means the got a head start in techology including bows, arrows and the precusors of rifiles. The new guieans had the basic needs of humans. These other reasons prove diamionds hypothesis.
Diamond hypothesized that New Guineans might be on the average "smarter" than Westerners for two reasons.
The first reason is that the europeans have been living in highly populated societies where epidemic diseases were the major cause of death. But in New Guinea the population was low for those epidemic diseases to kill people. New Guineans instead suffered from murder, accidents and probelms with getting food. The ones who are less intelligent are not likely to escape the causes of the high mortality in New Guinea.
The second reason is that the European and American children spent too much time watching television. An average American has the T.V on for seven hours per day. But in the other hand the Guineans children didnt have any television or radion. They spent most of their time interacting with other children. "Almost all studies of child development emphasize the role of childhood stimulation and activity in promoting mental development..."-21-. What this means is that the New Guineans are on average smarter than westerners because they were more active. The European and American children spent most of the time watching t.v.
Although westerners may have been the ones to extensively conquer and dominate, diamond suggests that new Guineans had a clear intellectual advantage of their own when it came to regular mental development. Unlike most western children who would rather spend their days watching lengthy hours of TV, the new Guinean were brought up to fulfill the very simple tasks that kept their culture preserved and their population up to standards (accordingly to them). He makes a clear point when he describes their high knowledge of domestically plants and their ways to easily maneuver through long nature trails. Although we might not like to admit it, some of our very own new Yorkers have a hard time finding their destinations even with the aid of clear instructions. But his point is this, that by participating in simple duties, as for instance as building suitable shelters and interacting with one another through daily routines, they managed to expand and develop their intellectual capacities much more than children who are caught in a world where the methods and ideas they are unconsciously forced to adapt and learn from are coming from a screen. New Guineans may have infact increased their own intellect compared to the westerners. As they continue to learn and progress through simple ways, I think that they manage to demonstrate a better more effective way of education, and their cultural survival and perseverance in their prosperous times shows true genius.
I believe Diamond thinks that New Guineans might be smarter than Westerners because they faced more challenges than did Westerners. Diamond says that New Guineans are "more alert, more expressive and more interested in things and people around them than the average European or American is."
New Guinean children have no t.v or radio at their disposition so instead they spend their time conversing with other children and adults. Studies show that this is benefiting to the mental health of any child. In this way, New Guineans are smarter than westerners. American children sped their time being entertained by technology.
In case of a natural disaster the most fit to survive are New Guineans.
Those are the reasons for which I think Diamond believes New Guineans are smarter than westerners.
Diamond infers that New Guineans are smarter than Westrerners because they have better mental developement since they interacted more with people than Wetsern kids, who just watch TV and don't do anything productive. So when New Guinean children talk and play with other they are set out to different experiences that they learn many things from. Western kids only learn bad habits and don't experience anything that may be useful to them. Also, New Guineans have been the earliest peoples to have used the earliest watercraft. Also, they learned to adapt quickly to the island and since they learned to adapt well, their poulation rose (Great Leap Foward). New Guineans also learned to use the resources that were available in the island which resulted in them living longer because they knew how to survive in the wild. Unlike the Westerners, they don't know any of these things because the are so materialistic and expect things to be there and don't have to work for anything.
Diamond hypothesized that New Guineans might be "smarter" than westerners like most people is because they can survive with a more limited resource than what the Westerners have. For example the Westerners have Asia to look to and learn from while New Guineans are an island and have never interacted with other people from other continents before since they did not have boats are advanced enought to sail seas. Another reason why New Guineans are smarter than westerners is because New Guineans have to live with different climates and adapt to the different climates. Westerners on the other hnd live in a east-west axis which means there are little change and is easier for them to learn how to domesticate animals from people close to them and survive from places like the Fertile Crescent or China.
I also agree with olivia because if the New Guineans were so advanced why didn't they build the boat that can travel seas before the europeans came and why didn't they domesticate animals more than the aount of domesticated animals in Eurasia? How come they weren't the once to know about the different continent ans started exploring other places instead of letting the other places explore them?
Post a Comment