Sociology

In the present era, when there seems to be chaos everywhere when nations seem to be at the brink of destruction, when grave environmental issues loom large above us and problems like global warming and population explosion seem to be strongly making their presence felt, Collapse How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed written by Jared Diamond seems to make some sense. It is a fascinating book that tries to bring into forefront the portentous future that seems to be imminent yet we have conveniently ignored the ominous signs.  By exploring the pattern that led to the demise of various societies, Diamond follows the map tracing the journey of doom starting from the Polynesian cultures on Easter Island to the flourishing American civilizations of the Anasazi and the Maya and finally reaching the ill-fated Viking colony on Greenland. It is a well-written masterpiece that takes its cue from the history and draws conclusions for the future.

Discussion
Most of the reviews that Collapse received were positive. This is a clear indication of the fact that the book was well-received but interestingly many did not agree to most of what it tried to verbalize. And though it did not sound convincing, the way the thoughts were presented by the writer made it an interesting and thought-provoking piece of literature as in the words of  Michiko Kakutani, who reviewed the book for the New York Times, discussions carried out in the book are useful in getting the reader to think about the big picture - about matters like the sustainability of current consumption patterns in a world of shrinking resources, and the role that cultural values can play in a societys welfare (Kakutani, Look on These Ruins).

No matter how interesting and stimulating the ideas presented may sound, as one reads the book through, it becomes evident that there are many sharp contrasts in the text. Malcolm Gladwell, in his review of the book in The New Yorker points out that on one hand Diamonds attributes the destruction of the aboriginal civilization of the Americas to the sudden arrival of smallpox that of. European Jewry to Nazism and of the Norse settlements on the Ice Age, which descended on Greenland in the early fourteen-hundreds ending several centuries of relative warmth thus indicating that these civilizations were destroyed by forces outside their control by acts of God and on the other hand, he says that Easter Island that was once home to a thriving culture and home to dozens of species of trees, was destroyed as the Islanders chopped their trees down, one by one, until they were all gone, clearly indicating that this was a man-made catastrophe and rational actors were responsible for it (Gladwell, The Vanishing.). This is a very vivid contrast confusing the reader whether it is the fate that destroys nations or they bring the destruction upon themselves through negligent behavior.

Another factor that the reviewers have pointed out is that too many examples have been presented in the book that makes it, as Michael Kavanagh puts it, a grab bag of case studies (Kavanagh, Dont Do As the Romans Do). Michiko Kakutani also supports this view as he has openly called the book a messy hodgepodge of case studies, glued together with speculation and questionable analogies (Kakutani, Look at These Ruins). In addition to this, it is also argued that he has randomly selected this group of civilization probably because it proved the point that the author wanted to make. He could have chosen ancient Rome but he settled for Easter Island or he could have chosen to discuss the fall of the Minoans of ancient Crete instead of the Anasazi of the American Southwest. Hence, there doesnt seem to be any logic at work behind this selection. Hence it can be safely concluded that there seems to be no objectivity in the sequence of collapse scenarios that often continue to generate serious controversy (Porritt, Man vs Nature).

A Compelling Read
Collapse is definitely a compelling piece of literature. The way Diamond has presented the array of facts using diverse case studies is quite fascinating and keeps the reader hooked till the very end. Through these examples, he has brought forth five important grounds for a societys disintegration namely diminished trade activity, extreme change in climatic conditions, foreign invasion, environmental degradation caused by man, and obstinate politics. And finally, he has drawn the conclusion that the nature of collapse that these civilizations faced can happen to modern societies as well. It is at this point that the reader ponders. Tries to see the relevancy of the argument and realizes that it may after all be true. Yes, we are actually facing environmental degradation, political turmoil and climatic change but, we have these examples before us and we can mend our ways to avoid the same fate, which might seem to be inevitable, but it can definitely be delayed.

It has been argued that the book is full of random examples but I think, Diamond wanted to make a point and so, he chose the examples that best presented that point. All the case studies were very much relevant and made the reader stop and think.

All in all, this evolutionary biologist trained in biochemistry and physiology has authored this remarkable book by adroitly employing relative methods facilitated by archaeology, anthropology, paleontology, and botany and hence proved that it is imperative to enhance the quality of human-environment interaction  in order to sustain and .survive.