Collapse Questions for Discussion

"Why did these ancient civilizations abandon their cities after building them with such great effort? Why these ancient collapses? This question isn't just a romantic mystery. It's also a challenging intellectual problem. Why is it that some societies collapsed while others did not collapse?
But even more, this question is relevant to the environmental problems that we face today — what if anything, can the past teach us about why some societies are more unstable than others, and about how some societies have managed to overcome their environmental problems? Can we extract from the past any useful guidance that will help us in the coming decades?"
- Jared Diamond, from an ABC Interview, explaining the theme of the book.

1. What are the five factors that precipitate societal collapse?

2. "I am writing this book from a middle-of-the-road perspective," writes Diamond in the introduction, "with experience of both environmental problems and of business realities" (p. 17). The middle of the road is often a tough place to be—since it opens one to attacks from either side. How successful is Diamond in staking out this position? How does he balance (or fail to balance) environmental concerns with business realities?

3. "The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there," is the famous opening line of L. P. Hartley's novel The Go-Between. Collapse is based on the implicit assumption that the past is not really that foreign after all—that the mistakes and blindness and bad luck that led to past collapses can and will happen again, that a lot of the problems of the world today result from the fact that we don't do things differently. Do you agree with Diamond's position that the past and present are closely connected, or do you think there is an essential quality that definitively sets us apart from previous civilizations?

4. Diamond’s text is an excellent example of the importance of human geographers’ work—how so?

5. On page 13, Diamond argues that the historians’ claim that barbarians brought down the Western Roman Empire is too simple. What is his argument and solution?

6. Why does Montana present an ideal case to study environmental problems? (In other words, why does he begin his book called Collapse with talking about Montana?)

7. Describe the issues surrounding Stock Farm’s development plan.

8. According to Diamond, what are the two options mining companies have in cleaning up their messes?

9. There are push and pull factors in studying history and human geography (and everyday life!) A push factor is something that pushes or initiates change-most often due to necessity. A pull factor is something that draws a change. For example, when people migrate it could be because of a push factor (i.e. there are no jobs; therefore, they must leave to find work) or because of a pull factor (i.e. another place offers jobs and migratory workers benefits). What push and pull factors do you see in Montana when you consider that 70% of high school graduates leave the popular BitterrootValley and that the population has remained stagnant in Montana?

10. Do you agree with Diamond’s statement that “most taxpayers balk at spending money if there isn’t an immediate crisis?” If so, can you give other examples? How does lack of planning and foresight for the future impact lives today?

11. What is cyanide heap-leaching?

12. There are several comments throughout this first section on how businesses are not charities and exist to make money—not clean up after themselves (which is very costly). So whose responsibility is it? What has to happen for this to change?

13. One of the first written set of laws of civilization is called Hammurabi’s Code-written by King Hammurabi in Mesopotamia. One of the laws states: “If anyone opens his ditches to water his crop, but is careless, and the water floods his neighbor's field, he shall pay his neighbor corn for his loss.” This is actually quite a good idea and was written in 1790 BCE –how would have these basic historical rules been useful in Montana today? Cite examples. Consider question 3 again.

14. Answer What is…Where? Why there? Why Care? and Who? for Montana

15. In what ways have humans manipulated the geography of Montana?