Social and environmental impacts of technological change
Geitner Simmons posts on historian Pekka Hamalainen, and his research on the impact of the horse on the Plains Indian ("The Horse's Disruption of Plains Indian Society").
The introduction of the horse had a tremendous impact on Plains Indians productivity, but Hamalainen argues that it also led to social unheaval and environmental damage. Some good quotes in Simmons' post.
Hamalainen's essay sounds like a good read but only part is available on the web. These are enough to lay out the thesis, but not the details.
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