Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2010/10/10
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Diamond also mentions that the longest serving stable social system known is the much maligned Indian caste system - so it must have had its advantages over the years. If Ted were writing this just 300 years ago, a blink of time in history, China & India controlled 65% of the world trade, and were the 'advanced civilizations'. In the 15 & 16th centuries, the most progressive civilization in terms of intellectual thought were Islamic. These things go in cycles, the downfall usually brought about by hubris, and in terms of history, these are extremely short term cycles. Cheers Jayanand On Mon, Oct 11, 2010 at 6:09 AM, Marty Deveney <benedenia at gmail.com> wrote: > Hi Ted, > > It's also worth remembering that in parts of the USA the scenery looks > like the third world and living standards are very poor, having > decreased markedly even over the last 10 years, and that Afghanistan > had sophisticated urban cultures in 3000 BC. > > As Diamond points out in Guns, Germs and Steel, political stability is > the most significant determinant of standard of living and quality of > life. > > Marty > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >