I watched the PBS doc "guns, germs and steel" part I yesterday.
Diamond, himself, appears throughout the documentary. He has a weird way of talking. I couldn't figure out the accent, but having read his wiki biog I assume it is a variation of a Bostonian accent.
Anyway, he of course asserts that the geographical nature of eurasia led to technological superiority. I.e. exchange of ideas and technology were much easier in Eurasia. He talked also about the role of domestic animals.
Interesting that the Mayans had a written language but the Incas did not. If one believes the Book of Mormon that steel was made in the Americas, one wonders about "lost" technologies. I.e. civilizations that were culturally advanced are wiped out by aggressive civilizations.
A counter argument to Diamond's hypothesis is wouldn't variation in climate encourage trade? (i.e. I have something you can't make, and vice versa, let's trade). I don't know...
I set TIVO to record part II where he talks about African conquest. The first part was about Pizarro and the Incas.
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