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When I began reading Variables on my own I was unsure about the author's assertians that geology was the basis of every culture. Then in class as we discussed how this could be true, the idea began to gain some ground. The more I tried to simply reason out his thought process the more it made sense to me. The idea that where animals, sources of water, and diseases were could really affect the humans in the area and define their need to colonize makes sense. Along that same line, those cultures and tribes who needed to expand and use other to be self satisfied, were the ones to grow rich and well-fed. Diamond's ideas were logical but at the same time still seemed like speculation.

After the reading and dicussion, I still didn't want to chalk up culture to geography. Obviously there is more to thousands of years of storytelling, festivals, and ideals than geography.