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Present a critical account of the concept of determinism in studying the man-environment relationship.

Present a critical account of the concept of determinism in studying the man-environment relationship.

10:08

 Question.

Present a critical account of the concept of determinism in studying the man-environment relationship. (UPPSC 2020)

Answer.

From the human point of view, everything except man is called the environment. The environment includes physical environments like biotic and abiotic, and cultural environments like buildings, roads, etc.

The human-environment relationship has been a matter of debate and has been studied from many perspectives. Determinism or environmental determinism is one of the earliest approaches to human geography to explain the relationship between man and the environment and was more prominent in the 19th and early 20th centuries, but its origins can be traced to Greek and Arabic scholars. 

Concepts of determinism in the study of the human-environment relationship:

According to determinism, the surrounding environment mainly the physical environment such as climate, and landforms are the deciding factors of human behavior. Environment shapes, direct and control human beings accordingly. The difference in human behavior and social development is due to the differences in the environment around them.

For example,

  • Due to the harsh climate and warm climate, tropics areas are less developed as compared to temperate regions. The warm climate makes it difficult for people to survive.
  • The roofs of the houses are sloping in the snowy area and the houses are built in high places in the flooded area.
  • People living in isolated or island areas have social and cultural homogeneity.


Criticism of Determinism:

  • Determinism has generalized things inaccurately however the same is not true as there can be two ethnic/caste groups in the same place and same climate. For example, the North-Eastern states generally have similar physical environments but many ethnic groups.
  • The environment is not only the deciding factor of human behavior but it is also influenced by many other factors like technology, knowledge, and demographic dividend. For example, Singapore is a developed country despite being located in a tropical region.
  • The environment does not limit human activities but provides many opportunities.
  • The human and environment relationship is not a one-sided relationship and it is not controlled by the environment only but it is a bidirectional relationship and humans and the environment influence each other. For example, humans change the physical environment through human activities such as river interlinking, dam construction, technological development, deforestation, afforestation, etc.

Ms. Ellen Churchill Semple brought up racist concepts from Determinism such as:

  • Tropical people are lazy and temperate people are simple and bold.
  • People who live in Mediterranean regions are enthusiastic, happy, and simple.
  • Those people who live in the mountains are brave, courageous, simple, and honest.
  • The people of the plains are liberal, innovative, and progressive and they are quick to adopt new ideas. They are clever and they fool others but they are also cowards.

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