What Are You Currently Reading?

[CQB]

Have you read Guns, Germs, and Steel or Collapse by Jared Diamond? If you have, how would you compare them to Civilization?

GJ&S is pretty good, but I haven’t read Collapse. Ferguson has a broader sweep than Diamond and has more unique insights from an economic perspective. He has a lot to say about America which is enormously positive and for me it was quite the reveal.
I haven’t read GJ&S for quite a while but the main difference is how societies fail. Ferg analyses how they succeed. In particular he explains the difference between Bolivar and Washington, or more pointedly North and South America and how the North was successful.

To add, Ferg delves into the decline of the church in Europe which is an interesting topic, given the conversation in another thread.

 

[Marauder06]

GJ&S is pretty good, but I haven’t read Collapse. Ferguson has a broader sweep than Diamond and has more unique insights from an economic perspective. He has a lot to say about America which is enormously positive and for me it was quite the reveal.
I haven’t read GJ&S for quite a while but the main difference is how societies fail. Ferg analyses how they succeed. In particular he explains the difference between Bolivar and Washington, or more pointedly North and South America and how the North was successful.

To add, Ferg delves into the decline of the church in Europe which is an interesting topic, given the conversation in another thread.

I was super excited when my teenage daughter came home and asked me for a copy of Guns, Germs and Steel because it was an option for an assignment she had in high school.

I was even more excited when I was immediately able to locate my copy and provide it to her :)

 

[CQB]

GJ&S get a run in Fergs book, ditto for Huntington.