I think his speech was very interesting. The part where he talks about conflicting interests in a society made a very good point. All too much we assume that everyone has the same basic plans for how we want a society to run. However, the elitists sometimes want results now, short term, instead of creating a stabile long term environment. Diamond said "What's good in the short run for the elite is bad in the long run for the society as a whole. There's a real risk for the elite doing things that will bring the society down in the long run." I don't think elitists think about long run goals and environment. For big power houses, it's a 'what have you done for me lately' philosophy. They aren't as concerned about length of time as long as they have their results now.
It was also interesting to hear him speak about the different ways societies collapse. From climate shifts in Montana to overproducing of food, failed trading, and relationship with hostile societies nearly every society has a different reason for how and why they collapsed. Although he also says that there are definite patterns. Some cultural factors make it difficult to become a strong society, but political and economical strengths can power through.
You don't realize how many factors go into creating a stabile society. I've never really thought about how exactly societies that were previously strong become weak. I feel like Diamond has a very good grasp on how this develops, even though he admits that we do not have all the answers. We try to learn and grow as much as possible. However, he says our biggest threat is something we can do something about. The future is in our power.
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