Skeptic: Promoting Science and Critical Thinking

In his Pulitzer Prize-winning book Guns, Germs and Steel, Diamond examined the downfall of some of history’s greatest civilizations. In COLLAPSE! How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, he now asks: “What causes the collapse of great civilizations, and what can we learn from their fates?” Diamond weaves an all-encompassing global thesis through a series of fascinating historical-cultural narratives. From Polynesia to ecologically robust areas like Montana, he traces the fundamental pattern of catastrophe: environmental damage, climate change, rapid population growth, and unwise political choices — and offers solutions. Brilliant, illuminating, and immensely absorbing.