Jared Diamond On Environmental And Social Sustainability. The Rise and Fall of Civilizations

If you walked up to random people on the street and asked them how the United States came to be the wealthiest, most powerful nation on Earth, what kinds of answers would you expect to hear? Maybe they would say it’s our industriousness, our Protestant work ethic, that’s made us so successful as a society. Some might point to an independent, freedom-loving spirit that grew out of our do-or-die frontier culture. Others might say it’s our natural ingenuity as a "race"—“It’s in our genes, man." You could also expect to hear some people say that God simply likes Americans more than He likes other people.

Some of these answers sound plausible. Others sound loony and bigoted. What’s the right answer?

By Steven Robert Allen

Full Story: http://www.alibi.com/editorial/section_display.php?di=2006-01-19&scn=feature#13905

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"Collapse" author Jared Diamond starts the book by looking at the challenges facing Montana. How will the state guide its future? http://www.matr.net/article-15281.html

Pulitzer Winner Jared Diamond Packs Hamilton High, Gives Montana ‘Collapse’ Context http://www.matr.net/article-15076.html