Indiana Diamond & The Crusade Against Agriculture

Jared Diamond is an intriguing individual. His novel, Guns Germs & Steel, is a must read for anyone interested in the history of civilization. His ability to blend multiple disciplines provides a convincing, and often more complete, perspective of the past.

Ten years before GG&S, Diamond wrote an article for Discover Magazine entitled, The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race. In this piece he argues that human history has not been a "long tale of progress." He believes that, "hunters-gathers practiced the most successful and longest-lasting life style in human history."Agriculture lead to, "the gross social sexual inequality, the disease and despotism, that curse our existence."

Diamond argues that one of the pinnacles of modern society was a huge mistake responsible for the horrors of life today. Specifically he states agriculture begets bad health because of diet, crop failure, and disease. He also blames the adoption of farming for the development of class division. The myopic outlook found in these four pages threw me for a loop--especially when compared to his later work. The points of interest are all over the place with a clear bias towards hunter-gather societies.

One of the authors arguments is that H&G's (hunters and gatherers) are "better off" then farmers because of the amount of hours worked. Hadza nomads of Tanzania only work about fourteen hours a week for their food. Other bushman range from nine to twelve hours a week. The author fails to mention the amount of time the average farmer works in seven days for that region.

Why not include the amount of hours worked on a farm? What century of farming are we talking about? Do modern farmers toil in the field like our ancestors, or do they use ever advancing technology to minimize labor? A more objective argument, with clearly set parameters, would go a long way to legitimizing the authors' point of view.

Diamond continues his article by praising the diet of H&G tribes, and rightfully argues that farming staples alone do not provide the necessary nutrients for a healthy lifestyle. He also mentions the devastating effects of crop failure giving the Irish potato famine as an example.

Yes. Consuming corn, wheat, and other staples alone will result in a number of health issues. Fortunately agricultural societies are often accompanied by robust trading economies. There are also modern organizations that provide disaster relief to areas effected by crop failure. This minimizes starvation, and trading helps diversify our diets. Diamond keeps the farmer in an isolated bubble, and fails to mention the various interactions that occur in any segment of human history. He also makes the assumption that nomadic societies had little to no issues with starvation. Hard to prove either way without written records, and a limited amount of archaeological data.

The lack of information is a huge problem with many of Diamonds' theories. He mentions breakthroughs in science. Skeletons can be used to determine age, height, gender, and can even indicate what diseases our past brethren have suffered. With enough skeletons people can deduce what an ancient society was like.

As amazing as these breakthroughs are they do not paint the entire picture. Can we tell if someone was blind or deaf? Suffered from the common cold, allergies, or had skin problems? Can we tell if they were happy in preliterate societies? Unfortunately we cannot accurately determine a societies overall level of health with the available data for much of our known history. This is why I have an issue with the authors overgeneralization. With the right evidence everything he knows today can be disproven tomorrow, and I believe the author does not make that clear.

Diamond also picks and chooses which data to compare. He looks at skeletons, and lifespans, of early farmers versus more experienced hunter and gatherers.

"Life expectancy at birth in pre-agricultural community was bout twenty-six years, but in post-agricultural community it was nineteen years. So these episodes of nutritional stress and infectious disease were seriously affecting their ability to survive."

Why is he comparing the novice with the well versed? I would imagine early nomads would have had their own issues starting out. After centuries of learning these groups would have figured out a thing or two about surviving. Comparing the experienced hunter-gatherer with the inexperienced farmer does not support Diamonds argument very well.

Also, the average age of agricultural societies today is much longer. Why not compare modern farmers to modern hunter-gatherers, and ancient farmers to ancient hunter-gatherers? A more compelling argument would indicate an initial dip in the quality of life before the advancement of agricultural techniques. Not a blanket statement about nutritional stress and infectious disease.

In regards to disease, the initial boom in infections (because of close quarters and domesticated animals) eventually creates a stronger immune system. As argued in Guns, Germs, & Steel, Native Americans were susceptible to European diseases because they lacked close contact with domesticated animals and past epidemics like the Black Death. In Europe, there were centuries of infectious exchanges between animals and humans, which eventually created an immune system strong enough to travel around the world. How does this improved immune system develop in a world of hunters and gatherers?

Health issues aside, Diamond is right that farming has produced the class system we know today. He is quick to highlight negative aspects like sexism, tyranny, and class division. Something that is well documented throughout our history. What he doesn't bring up are the advancements in communication, technology, and medicine.

Once again overgeneralizing leads to misnomers about nomadic and agricultural societies. The author makes it seem like these issues didn't exist until farming occurred. I highly doubt hunter and gatherers were free from assholes. No man ever judged a woman because of her gender before picking up the plow? No bushman sought to gain power through illicit means, or lead through power and fear? Hunter and gatherers were no less human then you or me. They were vulnerable to the same temptations and fallacies.

Then there is the positive side of the class system and agriculture. The advancement in technology, medicine, and communication is unheard of in pre-agrarian societies. Diamond mentions art, which is significant. Art, however, didn't put a man on the moon. Art hasn't eliminated polio from most of the world. Civilization itself came from farming, and I would argue the pros far out weigh the cons.


Jared Diamond brings up some valid points, but his theories are overzealous at best. He is too quick to demonize the farmer, and ignores the positive impact agriculture has had throughout history. These short comings, and his bias towards nomadic culture, hinder the effectiveness of his arguments. A more balanced approach to both H&G and farming societies is needed to truly understand the lessons of our past.