In 1987, Jared Diamond published a highly controversial article in Discover Magazine: “The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race.” Diamond argues that the development of agriculture was a catastrophe for mankind, that the hunting and gathering way of life was superior to that of farming. Why does he hold this view? Does evidence support this position? How does one measure the quality of life?
Jared Diamond follows the “Noble Savage” line of philosophical reasoning, espoused particularly by Rousseau. He believes that the source of mankind’s ills is his society, his interactions with others. Because of this philosophy, Diamond traces many of the obvious problems with society to the environment man has created for himself, in particular through agriculture.
What impact did agriculture have? First of all, it changed the diet, from a widely-varied one to one reliant on a few primary staples. This caused a decline in health, as deficiencies in certain vitamins or minerals were more likely. In addition, people began to cluster together into larger settlements, as the land was now able to support more people in one area. This lead to the increase in infectious diseases.
There is plenty of evidence supporting this. Studies of skeletons, in particular, have shown increasing incidence of disease at this point, both from malnutrition and infection. Analysis of the skeletons shows that life expectancy decreased, at least in one case, from 26 to 19 years.
But the impact was greater than simply on health. Hunter/gatherer societies have little or no class divisions. However, once there is storage and surplus food, class divisions develop. Skeletal remains show distinct social stratification at this time, with the elite having more goods and less disease. Also, according to Diamond, sexual inequalities also developed at this time, as families became bigger to produce more hands to work the fields. Thus, the sources of class divisions can be traced to the advent of agriculture.
However, these problems associated with the introduction of agriculture are rather misrepresented by Diamond. The nutritional problems described were true in some cases, but not necessarily all. In addition, problems with scarcity during certain seasons were mitigated by agriculture. Finally, the life expectancy at the present time can be traced to the advent of agriculture, and it is far above that of the hunters and gatherers of that time.
Furthermore, the problems he described, “gross social and sexual inequality,” are not the “curse” he implies. Social inequality, in and of itself, is not a problem, unless you are a socialist. Social inequality happens when there is freedom: some people distinguish themselves above others, and perhaps their descendents enjoy the benefits. This is not a problem. Diamond demonstrates poor economic theory in his discussion; in very few instances indeed are a class “social parasites.” Usually, if goods are not actually produced, services are provided, like a king’s protection and leadership.
Sexual inequality has been a problem, for sure. However, it must not be presumed that because there is some correlation between agriculture and this differentiation there is a causal relationship as well. It is possible, and perhaps more likely, that the problem was already around, and was simply more pronounced after the introduction of agriculture. This, I think, is a problem with human nature, and should not be blamed upon agriculture.
Warfare became more common at that time as well, but should agriculture be blamed? No. The selfish nature of mankind simply had a better avenue for expression. In all these cases, Diamond made the mistake of presuming that agriculture was the reason for the problems. It was not. Agriculture simply provided an environment that permitted these problems, already there, to become more obvious.
In addition, Diamond fails to acknowledge some of the benefits of agricultural society. People likely enjoyed the increased social interaction that the agriculture brought. In addition, people with talents outside the field of hunting and gathering had a much greater chance for utilizing those talents. Agriculture permitted the development of modern society, with its many marvels. Certainly there are problems in modern society, but should agriculture be blamed? Definitely not.
Jared Diamond puts forth interesting evidence regarding the impacts of agriculture, and likely health was adversely affected. However, his arguments linking inequality to agriculture both presume an inequality problem and fail to adequately link that problem to agriculture. In addition, he fails to discuss the incredible benefits of modern society, which could not have occurred without agriculture as a basis. I do not think that “The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race” was a mistake at all.