Human Environment Relationship Essay

Key Trends in Human-Environment Relationships over the Twentieth-Century Throughout the study of geography, there have been a variety of different approaches to explaining how the physical world has factored into the development of the world’s many cultures and societies. The relationship shared between humankind and the environment has always been one of immense complexity. Humanity has long been thought to act and think in direct response to his immediate surroundings. This in turn has enabled civilization to develop and be interpreted in diverse ways all across the globe. The correlation between the two would see further inquiry within the last one hundred years. In the twentieth-century, man has continued to study this relationship

Unlike environmental determinism, possibilism is the theory that while the environment does in fact set certain limitations or constraints on a society, culture is otherwise affected by the social conditions already within. During the 1930’s and 1940’s anthropologists sought to move on from the simplicity of environmental determinism. Researchers, such as Franz Boas and Julian Steward…(Need

The last century has seen several theories arise. Eventually, the study on the relationship between man and nature evolved to the point that it would become its own respected field of study. In addition to environmental determinism and possibilism, the twentieth century continued the ever-growing interest in man and natures relationship in the birth of human ecology. Though there have long been questions and ideas brought forth to answer this The continuing pursuit in uncovering man’s role in nature and vice versa has been a consistent question of interest especially since the twentieth century. Many possible theories have been presented to explain the relationship. Explanations, such as environmental determinism pin the natural environment itself as the key factor in human culture. Others theorize that while the physical landscape of an environment might set up factors for a society to abide by, the cultural identity itself is produced as a result of that individual society. Indeed, several great minds have presented a variety of explanations for the question but each one has never been accepted on a universal scale. Thus the field of human ecology is necessary to continue the pursuit. The past century has seen a great deal of innovations be made