The premise of Jared Diamond's nonfiction book "Upheaval" is that personal crises such as losing a loved one can produce valuable lessons for nations as well. Using individual problem-solving tactics, Diamond develops 12 factors that can help countries navigate major challenges.
The book was recently panned in a New York Times review, which argued that Diamond's case studies were riddled with inaccuracies and tailored to meet his specific framework.
"If [younger writers] were ever this sloppy, their career would be over before it had even begun," the reviewer, Anand Giridharadas, wrote.
Gates provided a different take in his write-up on Monday.
"I admit that at first I thought it might be a little strange to borrow from a model of a single person's emotional turmoil to explain the evolution of entire societies," he wrote. "But it isn't strange at all; it's revealing."