ASEBL Journal – Volume 10 Issue 1, January 2014
elderly for historical memory and tasks such as childcare – areas in which modern
societies should utilize their aged population more as well.
The most important lesson that Diamond learned from his time among traditional
groups in New Guinea is “constructive paranoia,” an oxymoron that reflects the
importance of being aware of one’s environment and the potential dangers within it.
Diamond believes that one close correlation to this lesson that his readers can learn is
to think more clearly about the dangers we face in state societies. As such we should
not focus our fears on something such as genetic modification, which has an
extremely low chance of killing us, and focus instead on driving safely and wearing a
helmet while biking, both of which would save many lives a day.
Diamond’s interesting discussion on religion does not really fit with the rest of the
book, as he does not really attempt to describe what his readers can learn from
traditional religions. Diamond instead offers a learned exposition about how religion
possibly originated among humans in order to explain the world around them and
make predictions about it. He also explains how the functions of religious belief differ
between traditional and modern societies. For instance, religion’s role in defusing
anxiety was greater in traditional societies where the threat of violence and other
dangers were much higher than in modern societies. On the other hand, religion’s
function in larger states of providing people with codes of behavior when interacting
with strangers was much less necessary in smaller traditional societies where you
knew everyone.
The section on multilingualism begins by making an impassioned plea for t he
preservation of traditional languages, sadly noting that a language disappears every 9
days. Diamond believes that this trend is tragic as “each language is the vehicle for a
unique way of thinking and talking, a unique literature, and a unique view of the
world. Hence looming over us today is the tragedy of the impending loss of most of
our cultural heritage” (370). Diamond then notes that multilingualism is widespread
among small-scale societies that will frequently come into contact with groups
speaking a language different than their own. The section ends with Diamond forcibly
arguing that people living in mostly monolingual societies such as the United States
need to strive to learn other languages. Besides its cross-cultural benefits, studies
show that learning a different language results in more flexible minds and can even
stave off the effects of Alzheimer’s for a time.
The book’s last section details how the study of traditional societies provides
guidelines to reduce hypertension and diabetes in today’s industrialized societies. In it,
Diamond points out that the rates of non-communicable diseases are extremely low in
traditional societies and correctly argues that many of these diseases can usually be
staved off by lifestyle changes. The section ends with Diamond’s prescription for
leading a healthy lifestyle.
As it details what people living in modern states can learn from traditional societies,
The World until Yesterday often reads as some sort of weird self-help book filled with
insights that range from the useful and interesting to the unoriginal and humdrum. The
conclusions that Diamond draws from traditional societies about how to lead a healthy
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