And the other generalization that I want to mention is that it's particularly hard for a society to make quote-unquote good decisions when there is a conflict involving strongly held values that are good in many circumstances but are poor in other circumstances. For example, the Greenland Norse, in this difficult environment, were held together for four-and-a-half centuries by their shared commitment to religion, and by their strong social cohesion. But those two things -- commitment to religion and strong social cohesion -- also made it difficult for them to change at the end and to learn from the Inuit. Or today -- Australia.
Druga generalizacija koju želim spomenuti jest da je za društvo posebno teško donositi, citiram, dobre odluke kad postoji sukob između ustaljenih vrijednosti koje su u mnogim okolnostima dobre, ali su u drugima ipak loše. Na primjer, grenlandski su Nordijci u tom surovom okolišu izdržali zajedno četiri i pol stoljeća, a držala ih je zajednička posvećenost religiji i snažna društvena povezanst. No, te dvije stvari – posvećenost religiji i jaka društvena povezanost – također su im otežale da se na kraju promijene i da nešto nauče od Inuita. Ili danas, u Australiji.