Reasons #4 & 5
Why I like Jared Diamond's Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed:
4. "Almost everyone else in the world, my archaeologist friends have an uphill struggle to convince governments that what archaeologists do has any conceivable practical value...When one of my archaeologist friends approached the Icelandic government and began to deliver the usual lengthy justification required in other countries, the government's response was 'Yes, of course we realize that understanding medieval soil erosion will help us understand our present problem. We already know that, you don't have to spend time convincing us. Here is the money, go do your study.'" (pg. 205)
5. Using Sherlock Holmes to explain Inuit harpooning. (pg. 259)
If only someone would say to me "here is the money, go do your study".
5.5 I also enjoy it when Jared talks about all his many friends. You know, his archaeologist friends, his Papua New Guinean friends, etc. That's why I can call him Jared - because he makes so many friends, why shouldn't I be one of them? I sometimes expect him to start talking about his Easter Islander friends and his Mayan friends, but he never does.
4. "Almost everyone else in the world, my archaeologist friends have an uphill struggle to convince governments that what archaeologists do has any conceivable practical value...When one of my archaeologist friends approached the Icelandic government and began to deliver the usual lengthy justification required in other countries, the government's response was 'Yes, of course we realize that understanding medieval soil erosion will help us understand our present problem. We already know that, you don't have to spend time convincing us. Here is the money, go do your study.'" (pg. 205)
5. Using Sherlock Holmes to explain Inuit harpooning. (pg. 259)
If only someone would say to me "here is the money, go do your study".
5.5 I also enjoy it when Jared talks about all his many friends. You know, his archaeologist friends, his Papua New Guinean friends, etc. That's why I can call him Jared - because he makes so many friends, why shouldn't I be one of them? I sometimes expect him to start talking about his Easter Islander friends and his Mayan friends, but he never does.