The concept of 'environmental determinism', which posits that human behavior and societal development are largely shaped by climatic and geographical conditions, dominated geographic thought in the early 20th century. However, this theory was increasingly criticized for its oversimplification of complex cultural phenomena and its implicit justification of colonial hierarchies. By the mid-century, it was largely replaced by 'possibilism', which argued that the environment offers a set of possibilities from which humans, guided by their cultural and technological capacities, make choices. This shift reflected a broader academic trend toward acknowledging human agency and the role of social factors in shaping history, yet recent studies suggest that environmental constraints, particularly in the context of climate change, are re-emerging as critical variables in understanding societal resilience, though not in a deterministic manner.
❓ 本文によると、環境決定論と可能主義の主な違いは何ですか?
A. A. 決定論は人間の主体的行為を強調する一方、可能論は環境的制約を強調する。
B. B. 決定論は環境を社会の主要な形成要因とみなす一方、可能論は環境が人間の制御下にある選択肢を提供するものと見なす。
C. C. ポッシビリズムは植民地の階層構造を正当化するために発展させられたが、決定論はそうではなかった。
D. D. 可能論は気候変動を無視する一方、決定論はそれを組み込んでいる。
✅ 正确答案
B. Determinism views the environment as the primary shaper of society, while possibilism sees the environment as providing options within human control.
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