Our lives are a result of breakthrough inventions and discoveries. However, mankind has existed without these discoveries for eons. Societies like the Highlanders of New Guinea prove that we still have a very thin line between our so called modern lives and the lives of our uncivilized ancestors. Drawing from his research involving people from many facets of civilization, Diamond explains how we have evolved and what that means for our future. These civilizations have much to teach us about aspects of our lives which are still valid even today, especially in faculties such as: child rearing, elder care, dispute resolution, risk, and physical fitness. Providing a breathtaking picture of the development across millennia, the book teaches readers that to look into the future, one must often turn to the past.