DETERMINISM

            The idea that the physical environment has absolute control upon the life and activities of man is referred to as environmental determinism or simply as determinism. In other words, the belief that variation of human behaviors around the world can be explained by the differences in the natural environment. History, culture, living style and development of social group or nation are governed by the physical environment is the essence of determinism.

            The ancient geographers tended to explain the character of the people in the light of physical environment of the region they inhabited. Montesquieu pointed out that the people in the wider climates are physically stronger, courageous, frank, less suspicious than those in the warm climate. The people of warm climates according to him were timorous, weak in body, indolent and passive.

            A similar type of view dominated the writings of the Arab geographers. They divided the habitable world into climatic zones and highlighted the physical characteristics of races and nations of these zones. Al-Masudi, mentioned that people inhabiting areas of abundant water availability were gay and humorous while those inhabiting dry areas were short-tempered. He further asserted that nomads who live in open air are marked by the strength, resolution, wisdom and physical fitness.

            Writings of Kant described the inhabitants of hot lands as lazy and timid. He pointed out the influence of climate on the people and animals migrating from one region to the other. Bolin in the latter half of the 16^th century, described the people of temperate lands are more talented than those of the north and more energetic than those of the south. Most of the other scholars of this period were trying to understand the characteristics of human beings and explanation for variations were sought through variations in the natural environmental conditions.

            Carl Ritter attempted to establish a cause and effect relationship between the physical environment and the physical constitution, and health of the people. According to him, the narrow eyelids of the Turkmen people were obvious effect of the desert environment on human being. His anthropocentric view fostered its growth. He was interested in studying the effect of earth on man, the reciprocal action of man on the earth. Many of his followers considered geography as the study of relationship between the people and their environment. Humboldt also asserted that the life of the inhabitants of hilly region differs from that of the inhabitants of plains.

            Darwin’s Theory of evolution emphasized the selective action of natural forces. The survival of organisms depends upon their adaptation to their natural environment. Thus, environment was considered determining not only the lifestyles of the people but their very survival. The study of social statistics revealed that crime were found to occur with regularity of seasons. The number of marriages in England showed a positive co-relation with the price of corn.

            Buckle identified the physical environment influenced the human races and these include soil, climate, food and the general aspect of nature. According to him, climate influences man in a number of ways. The excessive heat enervates the workers, a moderate temperature invigorates him and a long winter with very short summer encourages the desultory habits.  

            In the latter half of the 19^th century, Demolins studied the racial characteristics of man in relation to the physical environment. He stressed that it was the routes through which the people have migrated in past that has impressed upon their social characteristics. He has even said that the various races would have developed differently under the influence of the differences in their routes of migrations.

            Demolins cited example that the climate of steppe region produce grasses which lead to the art of nomadism. This means a complete dependence on animals. After sometime the pastoral nomads move outwards from steppes and according to the routes they follow, the type and nature of food, work and society also get modified. Here the deterministic emphasis the natural laws that govern man’s actions.

According to Allen C. Semple, ‘man is a product of the earth’s surface’ and he is moulded by nature according to the natural environment. Good development of  chest and arm muscle in the coastal area and of lag muscles in the mountains are example of environmental control. Even the religious ideas are not free from environmental control. One of Semple famous words on hell where the few expected to be permanently fried and the Eskimos permanently frozen. So that mean of Eskimo hell is a place of intense cold but Jews’ is a place of eternal fire. Huntington also promoted the philosophy of environmental determinism. He stated that the supreme achievements of civilization in any region were always bound with a particular type of climate. The best climates for work were those in which there was variety and in which the temperatures fall within a certain range.