Yuval Noah Harariの "Sapiens(副題 A Brief History of Humankind) を読み始めました。氏の本は "Homo Deus" と "21 Lessons for the 21 Century" を既に読んだので、これで3冊目、地元の図書館にある氏の作品はこれで全てです。
ちょっと長くなりますが、'An Animal of No Significance' の章から引用します。
That spectacular leap from the middle to the top had enormous consequences. Other animals at the top of the pyramid, such as lions and sharks, evolved into that position very gradually, over millions of years. This enabled the ecosystem to develop checks and balances that prevent lions and sharks from wreaking too much havoc. As lions became deadlier, so gazelles evolved to run faster, hyenas to cooperate better, and rhinoceroses to be more bad-tempered. In contrast, humankind ascended to the top so quickly that the ecosystem was not given time to adjust. Moreover, humans themselves failed to adjust. Most top predators of the planet are majestic creatures. Millions of years of domination have filled them with self-confidence. Sapiens by contrast is more like a banana republic dictator. Having so recently been one of the underdogs of the savannah, we are full of fears and anxieties over our position, which makes us doubly cruel and dangerous. Many historical calamities, from deadly wars to ecological catastrophes, have resulted from this over-hasty jump.
なるほど、人類の問題は環境問題を含め、急速な進歩（？）が原因なのですね。
"banana republic dictator" の "banana republic" 見覚えのある表現で、中南米の国を連想させますが、どんな意味でしょうか？ 辞書を見ます。
・Collins Dictionary: a small country, esp in Central America, that is politically unstable and has an economy dominated by foreign interest, usually dependent on one export, such as bananas
・Vocabulary.com: A banana republic is a country with an economy that depends almost entirely on one product and heavily favors a wealthy elite.
The writer O. Henry coined the term banana republic, using it in 1904 to describe a fictional country modeled on Honduras. In real life, U.S.-owned fruit companies had recently introduced Americans to the banana, exploiting the economies of small tropical nations to cash in on the newly popular fruit. These powerful companies essentially controlled Honduras and other countries politically, making them so-called banana republics. Today the term is used more broadly, for despotic nations with limited resources.
"banana republic" はO. Henryの造語とは知りませんでした。
ちょっと長くなりますが、'An Animal of No Significance' の章から引用します。
That spectacular leap from the middle to the top had enormous consequences. Other animals at the top of the pyramid, such as lions and sharks, evolved into that position very gradually, over millions of years. This enabled the ecosystem to develop checks and balances that prevent lions and sharks from wreaking too much havoc. As lions became deadlier, so gazelles evolved to run faster, hyenas to cooperate better, and rhinoceroses to be more bad-tempered. In contrast, humankind ascended to the top so quickly that the ecosystem was not given time to adjust. Moreover, humans themselves failed to adjust. Most top predators of the planet are majestic creatures. Millions of years of domination have filled them with self-confidence. Sapiens by contrast is more like a banana republic dictator. Having so recently been one of the underdogs of the savannah, we are full of fears and anxieties over our position, which makes us doubly cruel and dangerous. Many historical calamities, from deadly wars to ecological catastrophes, have resulted from this over-hasty jump.
なるほど、人類の問題は環境問題を含め、急速な進歩（？）が原因なのですね。
"banana republic dictator" の "banana republic" 見覚えのある表現で、中南米の国を連想させますが、どんな意味でしょうか？ 辞書を見ます。
・Collins Dictionary: a small country, esp in Central America, that is politically unstable and has an economy dominated by foreign interest, usually dependent on one export, such as bananas
・Vocabulary.com: A banana republic is a country with an economy that depends almost entirely on one product and heavily favors a wealthy elite.
The writer O. Henry coined the term banana republic, using it in 1904 to describe a fictional country modeled on Honduras. In real life, U.S.-owned fruit companies had recently introduced Americans to the banana, exploiting the economies of small tropical nations to cash in on the newly popular fruit. These powerful companies essentially controlled Honduras and other countries politically, making them so-called banana republics. Today the term is used more broadly, for despotic nations with limited resources.
"banana republic" はO. Henryの造語とは知りませんでした。
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