Moving outside the Eur-Asian continent to look at the question of why animal domestication did not develop as much in sub-Saharan Africa, Australia and South America. The sophistication of South and Central American Inca and Aztecs. The exchange of germs and the terrible effects of western diseases in the Pacific and South America. The importance of horses and steel weapons. The aggression of western Europe and the maritime trading system. Population rise and decline. The way animals fade away. The development of writing systems and printing and the effects of changes in communication systems. The effects of printing in China and the west. Has the great transition of the last few thousand years benefited mankind? Is there a pattern in history? Some added reflections on the unintended consequences of technologies. Reiteration of the importance of the steam engine.

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