The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race

According to Jared Diamond, so far, ‘the worst mistake in the history of the
human race’ was the start of the agricultural revolution roughly 10,000 years ago. This
belief starkly contrasts popular opinion that humans are ‘better off’ now than in
prehistoric times; that now life is much less laborious and food more plentiful, whereas, it
was once ‘brutish, nasty, and short. However, Diamond argues that there is irrefutable
evidence suggesting otherwise.
First, Diamond addresses the belief that humans have an easier, more relaxed way
of life since the advent of agriculture. After all, with the domestication of animals (and
now machines) to do all the hard work, humans now have more leisure time than our
ancestors who spent all day hunting and gathering…right? As it turns out, by studying
remaining ‘primitive’ societies around the globe, those whose way of life still revolves
around hunting and gathering have much more free time than their ‘civilized’ farming
counterparts.
Next, Diamond addresses the argument that we are better nourished than 10,000
years ago; food is plentiful and abundant, and we have more food per person than we
need. However, while there is plenty of easily accessible food, most of this is in the form
of refined grains—namely corn, rice, and wheat. While these crops do supply calories,
they do not supply ample nutrients for a well nourished body. On the other hand, while
hunter-gatherer humans had access to a limited number of foods, these foods were all
nutrient dense foods our bodies were meant to eat—mostly plants, nuts, seeds, and meats.
This way of eating caused our ancestors to be better nourished than most of us are today.
In fact, research has shown that in some parts of the world the average height for men and
women has decreased substantially since the agricultural revolution.
Finally, Diamond suggests that class divisions and inequality between the sexes
are both results of the advent of agriculture. With permanent residencies and new
‘villages’ and cities comes the accumulation of wealth and social hierarchy, where the
elite (as evidenced by studying mummies and tombs from around the globe) enjoy--and
often still do—a better diet, less laborious life, and overall better health than those lower
on the ladder of social hierarchy. So while the elite had quite an enjoyable and relatively
healthy life, the commoners became much worse off.
While the agricultural way of life was adopted not too long ago in the total sum of
the human race, it has forever changed the way we live. More people are overweight and
undernourished, more people are overworked, and (along with our waistlines) the
division between the rich and poor, the haves and have-nots, is forever expanding.
Diamond makes a solid argument in “The Worst Mistake In the History of the Human
Race” and I whole heartedly agree with it.