Guns, Germs, and Steel Lesson Plan

Why do you think many white Europeans adopt a racist explanation for why Aboriginal Australians did not develop complex, technologically advanced societies? Where does the blame lie in these explanations? What is the real explanation given by Diamond and supported by his research? What problems are solved for white Europeans by laying the blame on people rather than looking at scientific and historical evidence?

One possible response is to examine the idea of white guilt. We have already seen how religion has been used to justify violent conquests; race can also be used to help descendants of violent white Europeans lighten their conscience. If Aboriginal Australians'...