Jared Diamond and Ian Morris both discuss how humanity changed with the invention of agriculture. In this assignment you will compare and contrast how the two authors discuss the agricultural revolution and evaluate which author has the stronger argument. This paper should be 1000-1200 words. Choose ONE of the prompts below to complete this assignment:
Jared Diamond wrote “The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race” 30 years ago meaning that Morris has access to much more recent evidence for discussing the Neolithic Revolution. Discuss the evidence each author uses (make sure to flip/scroll/click to Morris’s Further Reading section). Does the more recent evidence from Morris also support Diamond’s argument?
Morris’s goal is to chart social development. Define social development as Morris understands it. How did agriculture change social development? Does Diamond care about the same kinds of development as Morris? Would Diamond agree with Morris’s approach to studying history and human development?
Papers should focus on the agricultural revolution. Compare like with like! This limits the amount of Morris that is relevant. Don’t write a paragraph about the collapse of the Bronze Age, that has no comparison in Diamond.
Papers must be 1000-1200 words. You may be penalized for falling outside this scale either for lacking details to make a substantive argument or for having an unfocused paper. It is better to be a little short on your word count than to add a bunch of nonsense into your paper. Better still to add one more detail from class or one more sentence of analysis.
