Prem Ballabh Pandey
Abstract: On the course of analysis of the relation between man and environment, the concepts of determinism, possibilism, neo-determinism and interactionalism are developed. The concept of determinism has been discarded by most of scholars. But it is true and should not be discarded.
Key Words : determinism,possibilism,neo-determinism,interactionlism,environment, eco-system, brain and body,genes,stimuli,activities,migration.
Introduction:
The relation between man and environment has been the main field of study in Human Geography since a long time of history of the development of the discipline. Determinism; a concept in which the nature was thought as the dominating factor in all the man`s activities and was claimed that the man is a product of nature and his body, mind and soul, all are made by the natural environment .How he lives, what he eats and what he wears all is totally dependent on the environment. Man`s all activities, for example, agriculture, industry, transportation, settlement …etc all develop according to the influence of natural environment.
The determinism was the first concept in this field of study and later, the concept of Possibilism developed, in which it was thought that there are many opportunities provided by the natural environment and man is free to choose from them and so, his activities are determined by his ability of decision.
Later, the concept of possibilism was taken as the man is the dominating factor and he can do what he decides. He can change the environment.
Due to this misinterpretation of possibilism, a new concept came by the name of Neo-Determinism, in which natural environment was thought as a silent guide showing different ways to man to go but to choose the right way, because a way may lead to devastation. It is also known as “stop and go determinism”, because before deciding any activity to take man should think properly.
Recently, a new concept of interactionalism has come, in which man`s influences on Natural environment and the influences of natural environment on man is studied separately. Man has different influences on the natural environment according to his socio-economic standards and man also can change the natural environment.
The relation of man and natural environment is studied at present time by eco-system approach, in which all the living and non living materials of an area are taken as important elements and how they are related to each-other is analyzed by all the knowledge and technology applicable in study.
Postulate
After this introductory lines now, first of all, we should think, how the man starts his any activity. Man takes birth with the body and a brain, which he gets by his parents. Scientists have a clear knowledge that the body and brain of a man has been composed by the cells which have genes in their chromosomes. The genes have been developed in a natural process of evolution and the qualities of it determine the body structure and the capacity of the brain of a man. A man has got different qualities and efficiency by their parents. This depends 50 per cent from the father and his ancestors and 50 per cent by the mother and her ancestors.
In other words, we may think the brain of a man as a computer, programmed by the long history of evolution. Its brand depends on his parents.
After the birth, man gets an environment to perform his different activities. He does not create the environment, he gets it. Certainly, he will start his activities as his brain has been programmed. His response and reactions to his environment will depend on the brain and body which he has got from his parents and the environment also is not created by him but created by other forces. The qualities of environment is also depends to other forces for which he is not responsible.
Imagine about the first man on this planet and his activities. He also must have started his different activities as directed by the environment and his body and brain. His child after coming on this earth will get the environment, which may had been little favorable to him by the changes done by his parents. But the changes done by his parents were according to their brains and bodies what they had got. Up to now, after generations to generations, the same story has been repeated.
The concept of determinism was discarded on the ground that, in the two areas having similar natural environment man does not live similarly, but may be living at different levels of socio-economic conditions. For example, the Australian and African savanna climatic regions have similar natural environment, but Australians are living with prosperity by commercial live stock ranching but Africans are living in a poor condition and are engaged in subsistence agriculture.
The above difference is due to the difference in the qualities of genes they have in their cells. In the history of migration, Australian`s genes may have developed superior qualities by the influences of different environments through which they traveled to settle (via Europe) in Australia. It is clear now by different scientific experiments of genes of different peoples of the world living in different regions that, the man first came into existence in south Africa and migrated to different parts of the world and settled at different periods of time.
The qualities and differences in the genes of man living in different parts of the world are due to the influences of environment. By slow process of evolution it develops and becomes better and better. The circumstances through which man lives and travels are responsible for the improvements in qualities. Generations after generations, it becomes better and better.
Thinking also is done by the brains having different efficiencies and experiences. After the birth on this planet with a brain and a body man does different kinds of activities according to the stimuli of environment, which he gets. The responses to stimuli will depend on his brain and body, which he has got by their parents and the environment also he gets by the place of his parents. So, it is clear that, all his activities are depended on the environment.
We should not discard the concept of determinism. It should be little modified scientifically. The concept of gene also should be included and by the environment, both natural and artificial environment should be taken. Man is creating artificial environment in his built up areas, but the work is done by the efficiencies of his brain and body, which he has not created but has got by his ancestors. When a new man takes birth, he also gets brain and body by his ancestors and an environment that is also not created by him.
So, for each person to act, to perform different activities, an environment has been created which may be natural-cum -artificial (the values of each vary from place to place) and the efficiency of performance also has been fixed by the genes of cells in his brain and body. A man living in New York city of U.S.A. and another man, living in a remote village of Nepal; both have a brain and a body provided by their parents and the environment for which, they are not responsible. For both, the grounds of their activities are prefixed and their efficiencies of performance are also prefixed. How we may say that their activities are not prefixed?
So, it is the deterministic concept, which is true.
Man thinks, that he has created cultural environment, with so many cultural elements, like, settlements, industries, agricultural landscapes and so on…., but he has done all this by the use of his brain and body, which is a product of evolutionary process. That, which man thinks as artificial environment, is artificial? It also may be natural, made by the use of natural products by the efficiencies provided by the natural process of evolution.
Here comes, the question; what is consciousness? How man or any other creature starts knowing his existence? How I know that, I am present on this planet? I don’t believe on God, but the question is there; how I am? What is life? There is no answer. Certainly, man has not created consciousness.
The unlimited universe with billions and billions of stars, planets, and satellites, with my existence on this planet Earth with billions and billions of forms of life is extremely wonderful. Thinking stops here with amazing silence.
References
Murphy, Rhoads 1961, An Introduction to Geography, 1961,” Rand Mc nally and company, Chicago”.
Pradhan, Puskar K. and Pradhan, Bandana 2006, Environment and Natural Resources, “ Quest Publication, kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal”.
Taylor, Griffith, 1958, Geography in the Twentieth century, “New York Library, U.S.A. “.
* Published in " The Himalayan Geographers " Vol. 6, 2011 " Geography Department, P.N. Campus, Pokhara,Nepal "