The Consequences of Agricultural Adoption

Jared Diamond argues that the worst mistake in human history was the adoption of agriculture, leading to a cascade of negative effects. First, agriculture resulted in gross social and sexual inequality, creating hierarchies that did not exist in hunter-gatherer societies. Second, it introduced widespread disease, as humans began to live in close quarters with domesticated animals, leading to pandemics that devastated populations. Lastly, agriculture paved the way for despotism, as food surpluses allowed for the rise of powerful leaders who could control resources and suppress dissent, ultimately cursing humanity with the very systems we still struggle against today.