In the article “Worst Mistake in History of Human Race,” by Jared Diamond (1987), he discusses how the conversion a hunter- gatherer based society to an agricultural based one was a huge mistake. At first it was believed and is still believed by many that it has been one of the best decisions made by humans but he goes on to discuss how it is not and the disadvantages it has caused.
At first he discusses why many believe that the introduction of agriculture was a positive step. Many believe this because they think of our ancestors and how we are now better off than them in many ways (Diamond, 1987). This is true when it comes to various aspects such as technology and the simplicity of obtaining food and shelter. Then he states how an agricultural based society is healthier, easier, and is less time consuming than a hunter-gatherer society because they lived on a day to day basis. It is easier but it proves to not be healthier and is more time consuming. The primary reason why humans converted to an agricultural society is because of the growing numbers in population; there was no possible route to feed so many people while being hunter-gatherers.
After stating the other sides opinions he goes on to state how a hunter-gather society is completely better than agriculture. First of all, it is actually less time consuming than an agricultural based society. A study was conducted on a hunter-gatherer society that is still present, the Bushmen, and they actually have a great amount more leisure time than is believed (Diamond, 1987). The tribe is actually more nourished than those who participate in an agriculture society because they take in several different types of food, and live of the land. Secondly, in an agriculture society, ther...
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... reason why they are diminishing is because people are forcing them to. They are being pushed into smaller and smaller regions due to the growth of agriculture and the growth of residential areas. The few tribes that remain are actually healthy even when many believe they are not. They take in all the necessary nutrients that are needed in the body unlike many agricultural societies that take in too much.
Hunter-gatherer societies are healthier and more beneficial towards one’s body than an agricultural based society but due to the large populations around the world there is no possibility society can convert back. The only reasonable action that can be taken to live a healthier life is if the pesticides used to grown fruits and vegetables, the fattening products used on the animals consumed, and no other artificial product or chemical is used on the food consumed.
He stated that as the society’s technology improves their way of life we seem to forget the significance of the common knowledge about the land. Also he looks down of the competition within the culture that is competing with one another. He despises the fact that some small farmer cannot compete with the bigger farms because small farms lack money, resources and manpower to keep up. All of this replaces the distraction of the farming culture
Hunting and gathering is probably a preferable lifestyle compared to a farmer, but it seems a bit over the top to blame absolutely every problem in our society on agriculture. It’s a common argument, but Jared Diamond's theory does seem to be quite an over-simplification. For example, he argues that inequality between sexes could be caused by agricultural because women were made beasts of burden and given greater pressure to work on the fields. However, the root cause of that isn’t agriculture, it’s sexism and stereotyping, because without an outdated sexist mindset no one would treat women differently in the agricultural department, and it is an oversimplification to ignore this. Furthermore, because of farming and globalization people now are given even more opportunity for a diverse diet. Although early farmers had access to only one or a few crops versus hunter-gatherers who had an entire forest of varied food, people nowadays have many more options than both hunter-gatherers and early farmers combined. A grocery store has ten times as many diverse and varying food items as a forest does, providing food from all corners of the world not just a single location or country, allowing people to create a perfectly balanced diet if they so choose. In conclusion, I agree with Jared Diamond's thesis on certain grounds, but I mostly disagree that the introduction of agriculture was the “worst mistake in human
To begin, he introduces the idea that the food production farms aren’t these "happy farms" society makes us believe they are. For instance, the author Michael Pollan explains how farms began to expand causing corn to produce rapidly, leaving massive quantities of
Western diet causes many diseases; increases people’s medical need for supplements and vitamins. However one writer disagrees with him and suggests “Eat foods that are less processed” (Denis Burkitt) which is easy to say but hard to apply on. Future more Pollen’s purpose of writing this article was to show how bad the effects of eating Western dieting can be, and to introduce a way to escape and in order to create a healthier country. Pollan also mentions the fact that livestock is being raised on a Western diet too, which means they are raised genetically too which means nothing is healthy like it used to be. In order to strengthen his statement he shows the percent of income spent on food in countries where the diseases percent is smaller to prove indeed “Western diet” is unhealthy, this matters a lot because currently most of the people living in this country are suffering from chronic diseases caused by wrong diet. Michael
"By increasing the fertility of the land, it increases its abundance. The improvements of agriculture too introduce many sorts of vegetable foods, which, requiring less land and not more labor than corn, come cheaply to the market."
Mark Bittman is a cookbook author, a journalist and has appeared on television. The experience from these projects has given Bittman the knowledge and credibility to argue his point on the matter of America’s diet in his Ted talk segment. In this Ted talk, Bittman discusses the effect of livestock production on the environment and how the way they are treated makes even natural food sources have unnatural ingredients. He mentions how over the few decades the children from the past ate differently at home than the way they do now. He promotes the idea of eating more organic foods such as fruits and vegetables than to continue the mass consumption of meat and junk foods. Bittman talks about the way that modern day America is eating and how it is not only causing harm to the bodies of people, but the state of the environment in the world.
For some time, scholars and writers have continuously debated as to what constitutes or defines the idea of healthy eating, mainly because of the increase in the number of people diagnosed with ailments associated with bad eating habits. It has quickly become the forefront of issue, particularly in the United States. In recognition of this on-going debate, this composition seeks to compare and contrast two well-known authors concerning how we think about and consume food. In Michael Pollan’s discussion, “Escape from the Western Diet,” he discusses the negative sides of nutrition science, including conflicting theories surrounding the elements of healthy food consumption and why solutions are essential for the Western diet and lifestyle. “Escape from the Western Diet,’’ is among the articles that talks about the eating habits of individuals in the society. In the article, Pollan points out not only the numerous conflicts concerning what types of diets – including carbohydrate-based, the inclusion of omega-3s, other nutrition-specific needs - that are believed to directly affect general health or specific illnesses, but also how western nutritionism compares to other countries diets affect longevity outcomes. In the end, Pollan suggests that the United States must seek solutions that move towards more natural, unprocessed, plant-based lifestyles that ensure that individuals are making what they consume a primary
“The discovery of agriculture was the first big step toward a civilized life.” (Arthur Keith)
Diamond states that the reason hunter-gatherer groups became agriculturists was simply because it was easier to create more food for your individual group if it was grown, this statement does have validity. Everyone would be responsible for themselves and would be expected to help out. There wouldn’t be the constant grumbling that there are so many people being lazy and living off of handouts like there are in the modern world today.
The blessing and curse of the Agricultural Revolution is advocated with its augmentation and dissemination. Taking the stipulative definition of “blessing” and “curse” from the original premise, one can only superimpose the layman’s terms of “negative” and “positive”. Upon examination of the two classifications within the Neolithic Period and ancient Mesopotamian civilization one can confirm the premise. Therefore, the agriculture revolution was a blessing and a curse for humanity. Human society began to emerge in the Neolithic Period or the New Stone Age. This new age began around 9,000 B.C.E. by the development of agriculture in the region surrounding the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and what is commonly referred to as “The Fertile Crescent” located in West Asia.1 The very development of agriculture had benefited humans by no longer having to move about in search of wild game and plants. Unencumbered by nomadic life humans found little need to limit family size and possessions and settled in a single location for many years. One negative aspect of this settling is that the population increased so much so that wild food sources were no longer sufficient to support large groups. Forced to survive by any means necessary they discovered using seeds of the most productive plants and clearing weeds enhanced their yield.2 This also lead humans to develop a wider array of tools far superior to the tools previously used in the Paleolithic Period or Old Stone Age. The spread of the Agricultural Revolution in the Neolithic Period also cultivated positive aspects by creating connections with other cultures and societies. Through these connections they exchanged knowledge, goods, and ideas on herding and farming.3 Another major positive aspec...
... diets making our food healthier, safer, and more nutritious. The pesticides and chemicals found in our foods are known for causing many illnesses we struggle with today. Also if we buy foods that are grown organically, they are usually locally grown; therefore, we can allow them to grow to their fullest potential allowing them to produce all the nutrients they are intended to have. This allows the fruits and vegetables we eat to have their full nutritional value. By eating eco-friendly poultry and beef we eliminate genetically modified animals from our diet, which also cause health concerns for individuals. When animals are raised for mass production they are feed corn and other harmful hormones to allow them to “put on more meat”. This is unhealthy for us and unhealthy for the animal, usually leaves unhealthy conditions at the sites where the animals are raised.
However, many people still refuse to be a vegetarian for different reasons. Some people prefer the taste of meat, and some people believe that they are born to eat meat. Despite that about 2 billion people in the world live basically on the meat diet, around 4 billion people live mainly on a plant-based diet because of food shortage(Pimentel ＆ Pimentel, 2003, pp660S). As everyone knows, the number of population is growing. For example, the total U.S. population doubled in the previous 60 years, and it may double again in the next 70 years (Pimentel ＆ Pimentel, 2003, pp660S). People won’t have enough meat to eat in the future. On the other hand, a well-planned vegetarian diet offers many health benefits. Therefore, people should become vegetarian because it benefits to huma...
There are countless angles that can be tackled, to draw upon the agricultural corruptions of raising and consuming livestock which takes a major toll on the environment. In the midst of a global crisis, humans are at the centre of generating the pollution that is getting trapped into the atmosphere and turning to vegetarianism would be an ample approach to lower the ecological consequences towards the Earth. The paramount effects of the depleting Earth is noticeable from the immense input of resources such as land, soil and water and vast output of wastes such as greenhouse gases, to mass produce meat. Meat is not catered to those in the lower class and thus they suffer, especially from the elimination of their crops or arable land that instead, is used to feed livestock or construct innumerable livestock plantations. Correspondingly, Clarke (2015) stated that âCurrently 80% of the world's agricultural land is used directly or indirectly for animal production.
Vegetarians tend to be healthier than those who consume meat. This is due to the prevalent unnatural chemicals used in the processing of meats, and eating these are unsuitable for the body. Meats already contain harmful amounts of cholesterol, and over-consumption of red meat can lead to early heart disease. Animals that are raised on farms for their meat are not treated well, and this mistreatment can lead to harm in the meat they are producing. Although one life choice cannot change one’s environmental
Every time a person goes to the store and buys some food that food was grown by a farmer or contain ingredients from the farmer’s crops. A farmer is a good job because the work they do helps to provide the world with food. Without farmers many people would go hungry not knowing how to grow their own food. Without farmers many other products other than food would be gone. Farmers work hard long days and often go unnoticed; however, without them life would be much different.