Chapter 271 Guns, Viruses and Steel
The chat with Bo Yang, Fang Yan was actually not happy.
There were many things he didn’t say, and he didn’t use all his firepower. After all, what he said would hurt the old man too much.
If he gets angry, even to the point of death, he will never bear this infamy.
If you change it to a younger one, it will really hurt you!
But no matter what, the title of this report meeting has finally been figured out. Originally, I wanted to talk about nationality and globality.
Now, let’s join the discussion about the superiority and inferiority of nations.
At this point, Fang Yan stayed in the bedroom and scrawled on the paper with a pen:
"Foreword."
"——About Bo Yang. Question.”
“For peoples in different parts of the world, in the thirteen thousand years after the last Ice Age, some parts of the world developed into industrial and agricultural societies using metal tools and writing, and some parts of the world developed into There are still hunting and gathering societies that use stone tools..."
“Recently, I talked with Mr. Bo Yang about the issue of national superiority and inferiority. His view is that every nation in the world has its own characteristics, but when talking about some ethnic groups in Africa and America, especially the Chinese people, we There are great differences and deviations between them.”
“… ”
“Why can white people make modern industrial products, but black people in Africa can only be enslaved, or are indigenous people in the South Pacific still primitive societies?”
“Connected to the larger scale of the modern world? A series of disparities among peoples from Eurasia, especially. It is the peoples who still live in Europe and East Asia, as well as those who immigrated to North America, who control the wealth and power of the world. Other peoples, including most Africans, have escaped European colonization but in wealth and power. Still far behind.”
"There are also some ethnic groups, such as the indigenous peoples of Australia, the Americas and the southernmost tip of Africa. They are no longer even the owners of their own land. Instead, they were massacred, conquered, and sometimes exterminated by European colonialists."
“Why is the distribution of wealth and power the way it is? Why not Indians , Africans and Australian Aboriginals killed, conquered or exterminated Europeans?"
"For this question, we can look back at history from 1500 AD..."
Written in dialect. It's "Guns, Germs and Steel". In my memory, it won the Pulitzer Prize, the British Popular Science Book Award and other awards.
In my previous life, this book was no less than world-class bestsellers such as "Human Weakness" and "The World is Flat".
The views of this book can be summed up in one word: "environmental determinism", or "geographic determinism".
In other words, the ecological environment is the basis for human survival, and the geographical environment determines the development of civilization.
However, I don’t completely agree with a lot of the content in it, especially the parts about China and Asia.
Furthermore, the writing is too wordy, and I don’t have that much detailed information on hand, so I can only simplify it a lot.
As for the issue of China, I am going to discuss it in a long way. Of course, it is impossible to write "Theory of Threat" and "Theory of Collapse".
Instead, it explains the renaissance of China from the perspective of Chinese history, culture, and geography.
Originally, if I were in China, I would not have been able to write this book, otherwise I would not be able to explain why I am so familiar with the world.
But now at the University of Iowa, and Iowa is precisely the place of exile for Indians, which fits the opening chapter of "Guns, Viruses and Steel" with Indians, and it is also in museums and libraries. There is a large amount of data, information and writings.
What Fangyan needs to do now is to make forward-looking and groundbreaking viewpoints self-justifying and logically consistent.
That is, shoot the arrow first, and then draw a bullseye where the shot hits.
If such a book on human history that "denies racial determinism" is thrown into the United States where the affirmative action movement is rampant today, those affirmative action activists who shout "racial equality" will probably go crazy about it, and maybe those scholars will too. Like it very much.
…………
After working in the room all day, I finally finished writing the preface, outline and the first chapter.
At this moment, Pan Yaoming opened the door, followed by Bai Ruoxue, Nie Hualing, Paul Angel and others.
Nie Hualing smiled and said: "I heard from Yaoming, what big thing are you writing?" Fang Yan said that he got inspiration from chatting with Bo Yang and prepared the topic for the next report.
"Don't worry too much about Mr. Bai. He has been detained for too long. He is a little extreme and impulsive."
Nie Hualing said: "Even I, who has been in the United States for a long time, Everyone who lives knows that the United States is not as beautiful as he thought, and the Chinese people and culture are not as beautiful as he thought. What he said was so ugly."
Fang Yan curled his lips, "He scolded him happily and relieved his hatred, but the impact was really bad."
Nie Hualing also felt sorry for him. Bo Yang was a little dissatisfied, "Then how are you going to refute him at the report meeting?"
Fang Yan pointed to the manuscript paper on the table, "I'm writing right now."
Bai Ruoxue asked curiously: "Teacher Fang, is this the one you talked about last time?!"
Nie Hualing Curious: "Can you let me have a look?"
"Of course." Fang Yan handed over the manuscript.
Nie Hualing opened the manuscript and started reading.
The more Paul Angel listened, the more he became lost in thought.
“Because of its vast land surface, Europe has a large number of easily domesticated animals and plants.”
“The east-west axis also facilitates the spread and exchange of crops, animals and plants. Obstacles reduced”
"These factors gave humans in Eurasia a leading edge in the transition from hunting and gathering to agricultural civilization and even industrial civilization, which in turn affected the civilization process of the entire world."
I know every word, but spelling We don’t understand each other.
"Are you going to analyze and discuss all the nations in the world?" Paul Angel was surprised.
"I dare not say it is an analysis and discussion, I can only say it is science popularization."
Fang Yan waved his hand, but he was not yet capable of analyzing all the nations in the world.
“That’s amazing!”
Everyone looked at each other, shocked.
Especially Paul Angel, because of his interest in Indian masks, he has some understanding of Indian civilization, world history, and world nations, and he is quite aware of the knowledge reserves and broadening of horizons required.
“I don’t dare to compare with those of you.”
Fang Yan said with a smile: “And I only have empty opinions now, and I am in urgent need of all kinds of information to lay a solid foundation and have a sound basis. ”
“I can lend you my library card,”
Nie Hualing said that if the University of Iowa does not have one, you can go to the Iowa Public Library.
"I am really looking forward to your report meeting this time."
Paul Angel said: "If this book is published, please remember to mail me a copy."
"It will take a long time, and translation is needed."
Fang Yan turned his head to Bai Ruoxue, "When the time comes, I will have to work hard for you again."
"No hard work, Teacher Fang .”
Bai Ruoxue smiled: "I would also like to thank you for letting me get a little fame in your book."
Fang Yan said: "Not only the translation of the book manuscript, but also the hard work when giving speeches at the report meeting Continue to be my translator.”
(End of this chapter)