So I was just surfing the web during my downtime and the internet being a rabbit hole that it is, I realized I got to this page.... http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20010817233944data_trunc_sys.shtml
Having read Guns, Germs and Steel before (as well as watching the documentary on Youtube), I was really surprised that the difference can be attributed to simple things like frost.
This got me thinking, if you believe the poor countries are already locked in to their fate by the cards dealt them, does this mean they are blameless for their current situation? Did colonialism really messed them up or it simply exacerbated an existing problem? And how can poor countries overcome the challenges to becoming 1st-World?
Thats popular in secular liberal circles in the west. To teach youngsters what collective guilt is and to instill fear upon them. People are more obedient that way.
Even though some western european countries managed (due to many factors) to extert control over many continents for several generations - there were already vast differences between cultures around the world. Some places like Africa and Australia being firmly stuck in animism and stone age. Other, like Europe and middle East lagged behind east Asia for most of their history (and arguably again today).
I have to agree with you - if you are only concerned about material possesions, than indeed environment is paramount. Since the world is so incredibly globalized today, IQ of population is not as important as the prevailing culture (which includes work ethics).
Koreans easily outperform any african nation, regardless of the fact, that after civil war they had lower living standarts and relatively poor soil.
I just really found it interesting. I mean, most of Western Europe today was backwater during Roman times and lagged considerably with the Eastern half of the empire for a long time. Even Egypt at the time was richer (which attracted Romans in the first place).
The author of the articles makes a case that the heat in many places is a disadvantage but then I was wondering how some of those places, like India for example, were the places that first developed a complex civilization. Is that only temporary because they people there had a head-start because the place was settled earlier and they were meant to be overpowered by people from the more temperate climes?
Since you mentioned Korea, I don't think it is within the tropics and the article is claiming that being in the tropics automatically places the people at a disadvantage.
]There is a proverb: why the poor, because the bad, and why the bad, because the poor, this is the case for the countries of Asia.
Ah, good ol' vicious cycle...
Easy to answer: Because the rich countrie's people are brave, have intelect and values to choose their leaders and will fight for their rights if necessary.
Poor countries have weak people, acting like mercenaries for any money, unable to think bigger, to think for the common convenience (thinking only in themselves). This results in corrupt leaders, dirty cities, misery and chaos.
Let's argue for a bit. Do you believe a country is rich, because its citizens are brave and smart?
Compare some of the richest Arab countries like UAE and Kuwait to Some poorer ones like Algeria. All of them are in the Arab league, all of them have vast natural resources mainly oil and natural gas, all are inhabited by people of similar culture and religion. Does the difference in wealth really come from the weakness of the people?
Is that why in one of them people drive ferraris and in the other they rarely drive cars at all?
I didn't know Algeria is an oil producing country. I rarely even hear it in the news. I wonder what could have caused the difference. Isn't Algeria not fully Arabicized? I believe there is a native ethnic group there, Berber if memory serves right...