Poverty in Papua New Guinea

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The main thesis of "Guns, Germs, and Steel" that the success of societies is largely based on the geography of the nations is logical, and I can see how it explains many of the questions as to why advanced societies rose in the Middle East and Europe and not in Australia. For the most part, this assertion explains poverty in the New Guinean highlands, as the natives are not able to spend time developing technology or building complex society because so much of their time is spent harvesting nutrient-poor foods, and they do not have any work animals to ease their labor.

However, the thesis of "Guns, Germs, and Steel" completely ignores the role that human beings have in shaping their own destiny. The documentary clearly showed Jared Diamond going up a river and interacting with locals. The locals could use this river as a resource for food, energy and transportation. Moreover, the natives could also use the river to leave the highlands in search of a more habitable area downriver. Additionally, the video completely ignores the importance of culture and conflict. It is important for growing civilizations to have competition, so they can strive to constantly improve. No great civilization has ever existed that was completely in isolation, and this must be at least partly responsible in holding the highlands of New Guinea from industrializing and developing.

Furthermore, the highlands of Papua New Guinea are not the only part of the nation. The capitol city is the most industrialized part of the country, and taken as a whole, New Guinea is certainly not the poorest nation. Adult literacy is approximately 65%, which is not as high as European nations, but is much higher than many poor countries. Life expectancy at birth is 56 years, which is very poor, but it is increasing over time. As a whole, the nation has suffered from colonization, and poor access to natural resources has prevented the nation from becoming an industrial powerhouse. I have a hard time believing that this poor "geographic luck" is solely responsible for New Guinea's poverty, as culture, value of technology and education, innovation, and peacefulness with other peoples living on the land all affect the success and development of a nation.

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