Possibilism: humans are primary determinant of culture.

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1 Environmental Determinism: is the view that the physical environment, rather than social conditions, determines culture. Possibilism: humans are primary determinant of culture.

2 Possibilism is the theory that the environment sets certain constraints or limitations, but culture is otherwise determined by social conditions. For example: Laws, government, technology, religion, education, etc. examples include: USA vs. Mexico, Japan vs. China, Great Britain vs. Russia

3 The fundamental argument of the environmental determinists was that aspects of physical geography, particularly climate, influenced the psychological mind-set of individuals, which in turn defined the behavior and culture of the society.

4 No Greece, China, Italy

5 For example, tropical climates were said to cause laziness, relaxed attitudes and promiscuity, while the frequent variability in the weather of the middle latitudes led to more determined and driven work ethics. Environmental determinism's origins go back to antiquity. Greek geographer Strabo who wrote that climate influences the psychological disposition of different races.

6 Some in ancient China advanced a form of environmental determinism as found in works written in the 2nd century BCE. We find statements like "Now the water of Qi is forceful, swift and twisting. Therefore its people are greedy, and warlike," and "The water of Chu is gentle, yielding, and pure. Therefore its people are lighthearted, and sure of themselves."

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8 Later critics charged that environmental determinism served to justify racism and imperialism. The experience of environmental determinism has left a scar on geography, with many geographers reacting negatively to any suggestion of environmental influences on human society.

9 However, Jared Diamond of UCLA argues that Eurasian civilization is not created out of superior intelligence, but is the result of a chain of developments, each made possible by certain preconditions.

10 In our earliest societies, humans lived as hunter-gatherers. The first step towards civilization is the move from hunter-gatherer to agriculture, with the domestication and farming of wild crops and animals.

11 Agricultural production leads to food surpluses which supported greater population growth. Such growth led to larger workforces and more inventors, artisans, etc.

12 Although agriculture arose in several parts of the world, Eurasia gained an early advantage due to the greater availability of suitable plant and animal species for domestication.

13 In particular, Eurasia had barley, wheat, and rice which are high in fiber and nutrients. Grains can also be stored for longer periods of time unlike tropical crops such as bananas.

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15 Eurasian animals include: goats, sheep, pigs, chickens and cattle provided food, leather, and clothing.

16 Eurasia as a whole domesticated 13 species of large animals (over 100 lb); South America just one (counting the llama and alpaca as breeds within the same species); the rest of the world none at all.

17 Sub-Saharan Africans had mostly wild mammals, whereas Eurasians chanced to have the most docile large animals on the planet: horses and camels that are easily tamed for human transport; but their biological relatives zebras are untameable. Africans, developing alongside large mammals, had available lions, leopards etc.

18 Eurasia's dense populations, high levels of trade, and living in close proximity to livestock resulted in widespread transmission of diseases, including from animals to humans. Natural selection forced Eurasians to develop immunity to a wide range of pathogens. When Europeans made contact with America, European diseases (to which they had no immunity) ravaged the indigenous American population, so that relatively small numbers of Europeans could maintain their dominance.

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20 Maybe the environment can determine certain outcomes even if culture makes many things possible.