Rubric/Directions

The Physiologist Jared Diamond argued in 1999 that agriculture was “the worst mistake in the history of the human race.”

 the adoption of agriculture, supposedly our most decisive step toward a better life, was in many ways a catastrophe from which we have never recovered. With agriculture came the gross social and sexual inequality, the disease and despotism, that curse our existence.

…

Besides malnutrition, starvation, and epidemic diseases, farming helped bring another curse upon humanity: deep class divisions. Hunter-gatherers have little or no stored food, and no concentrated food sources, like an orchard or a herd of cows: they live off the wild plants and animals they obtain each day. Therefore, there can be no kings, no class of social parasites who grow fat on food seized from others. Only in a farming population could a healthy, non-producing elite set itself above the disease-ridden masses. 

His full article is here.

This is the article being examined.

Notice, then, that Diamond’s indictment includes

• malnutrition and starvation
• epidemic diseases
• sexual inequality
• class divisions: a “class of social parasites who grow fat on food seized from others … above the disease-ridden masses.”

and that he claims that in all these respects, traditional agriculture was worse than foraging.  Is he right?  

Your task is to evaluate his claims against the evidence we have examined so far in this course.

(Please note that this question does not ask you to simply repeat his argument.  Your task is to make up your own mind about what (if anything) he is insightful about, and what (if anything) he is not insightful about, and explain that.)

(Please note that this is not a question about whether you are personally happy that the transition from foraging to agriculture happened.  This is an exam about the world before the industrial revolution.  Any reference to facts or events after 1800 will be ignored in grading your exam.)

As always, cite carefully and quote as useful.  You are always welcome to bring in additional material (with careful crediting and referencing) but I would generally discourage that, because what I will be looking for is evidence that you have thought about and understood our course material. Pulling together all the material. 

Using the attatchments Below as the EVIDENCE. 

Sources:

– Link Above(Evaluate his claims)

– Also mentioning James Scott (Against the Grain As one source/Evidence)

– Three attatchments below (Evidence)