Export your learner materials as an interactive game, a webpage, or FAQ style cheatsheet.
Unsaved Work Found!
It looks like you have unsaved work from a previous session. Would you like to restore it?
Total Categories: 5
Environmental determinism posits that the physical environment serves as the primary determinant influencing the developmental trajectories of societies and states.
Answer: True
The core tenet of environmental determinism asserts that geographical and ecological factors are the principal drivers shaping human civilization and societal development.
Ancient Chinese thinkers, such as Guan Zhong, proposed that the qualities of major rivers had no influence on the character of surrounding populations.
Answer: False
Guan Zhong, an ancient Chinese thinker, posited that the characteristics of rivers influenced the temperament of people, suggesting swift rivers fostered 'greedy, uncouth, and warlike' individuals.
Hippocrates, in 'Airs, Waters, Places,' suggested that environmental features, including climate, shaped the physical and intellectual qualities of societies.
Answer: True
Hippocrates' treatise 'Airs, Waters, Places' is an early example of environmental determinism, proposing that geographical and climatic conditions significantly influenced the physical constitution and mental faculties of populations.
According to Hippocrates, environments characterized by rich, soft land and moderate climates produced individuals described as strong, lean, and intelligent.
Answer: False
Hippocrates associated environments with rich, soft land and moderate climates with individuals who were 'flabby and jointless, bloated and lazy and mostly cowards,' contrasting them with those from harsher terrains.
Hippocrates linked the infertility of Scythian men to their 'soft and cold lower bellies' and constant horseback riding.
Answer: True
Hippocrates' analysis included observations on fertility, suggesting that the lifestyle and physical characteristics of Scythian men, influenced by their environment and activities, contributed to their infertility.
Medieval Middle Eastern scholars, such as Ibn Khaldun, did not explore environmental determinism, focusing exclusively on religious explanations for societal differences.
Answer: False
Medieval scholars like Ibn Khaldun and Al-Jahiz extensively explored environmental determinism, linking factors such as climate, soil, and geography to societal characteristics, customs, and even physical traits.
Carl Troll identified the lack of llamas as pack animals as a key factor aiding the Inca state's development.
Answer: False
Carl Troll identified the presence of llamas as pack animals in the Andes as one of several environmental factors that aided the Inca state's development, alongside irrigation technology and food preservation.
Which statement best defines the core concept of environmental determinism?
Answer: It posits that the physical environment predisposes societies toward specific paths of economic and social development.
Environmental determinism fundamentally asserts that geographical and ecological factors are the principal determinants shaping the development paths of societies and states.
What did ancient Chinese thinkers like Guan Zhong propose regarding the influence of rivers on people?
Answer: Swift rivers made people 'greedy, uncouth, and warlike.'
Guan Zhong suggested that the characteristics of rivers, particularly swift ones, could influence the temperament of the populace, leading to traits such as greed and warlike tendencies.
In his treatise 'Airs, Waters, Places,' Hippocrates suggested that environmental features influenced societies by:
Answer: Shaping the physical and intellectual qualities of their populations.
Hippocrates' early work posited that environmental factors, including climate and geography, played a significant role in determining the physical constitution and intellectual capacities of human populations.
According to Hippocrates, what kind of environment produced people described as 'flabby and jointless, bloated and lazy and mostly cowards'?
Answer: Environments with rich, soft, and well-watered land, along with moderate climates.
Hippocrates associated environments characterized by rich, soft land and moderate climates with the production of individuals exhibiting traits of laziness and physical weakness.
Which medieval Middle Eastern scholar explored environmental determinism by linking skin color and livestock traits to environmental factors?
Answer: Al-Jahiz
Al-Jahiz, a medieval Middle Eastern scholar, explored environmental determinism by correlating physical characteristics, such as skin color and livestock traits, with environmental influences like climate and soil.
What did Hippocrates suggest about the physical characteristics of people living in barren, dry lands with extreme weather?
Answer: They were more likely to be 'strong, lean, muscular, and intelligent.'
Hippocrates posited that individuals inhabiting barren, dry lands with extreme weather conditions were more likely to possess characteristics such as strength, leanness, muscularity, and intelligence.
During the Western colonial period, environmental determinism was primarily employed to argue for the inherent equality of all races.
Answer: False
Conversely, during the colonial era, environmental determinism was frequently utilized to assert the superiority of European races and legitimize colonialism and the subjugation of other populations.
Thomas Jefferson argued that temperate climates fostered stronger work ethics and more civilized societies compared to tropical climates.
Answer: True
Jefferson's writings reflected environmental determinist views, suggesting that the variable climates of temperate zones promoted industriousness and civilization, while tropical climates led to more relaxed and less developed societies.
Adolf Hitler rejected environmental determinism, focusing solely on racial ideology without considering environmental influences.
Answer: False
Adolf Hitler integrated environmental determinism into his racial ideology, arguing for the inherent superiority of the Nordic race due to perceived advantages conferred by their northern environment.
Lamarckian theory supported environmental determinism by suggesting that traits acquired due to environmental pressures could be passed down genetically.
Answer: True
The Lamarckian concept of the inheritance of acquired characteristics provided a biological mechanism that seemed to support environmental determinism, suggesting that adaptations to the environment could be inherited.
Geographical societies, such as the Royal Geographical Society, actively opposed imperialism and colonial expansion.
Answer: False
Prominent geographical societies often supported imperialism by funding expeditions and proponents, thereby contributing to the expansion and justification of colonial enterprises.
During the Western colonial period, environmental determinism was primarily used to:
Answer: Argue for the inherent superiority of European races and legitimize colonialism.
Environmental determinism provided a pseudo-scientific justification for colonialism, asserting the inherent superiority of European peoples and their right to dominate others based on perceived environmental advantages.
Thomas Jefferson's views on climate and society suggested that tropical climates:
Answer: Led to degenerate societies characterized by laziness and relaxed attitudes.
Jefferson posited that tropical climates fostered characteristics such as laziness and relaxed attitudes, contributing to what he viewed as degenerate societies, in contrast to the more industrious societies of temperate zones.
The Lamarckian theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics was significant during the colonial era because it:
Answer: Provided a framework suggesting environmental influences could be passed genetically.
Lamarckian theory offered a mechanism, the inheritance of acquired characteristics, that seemed to support environmental determinism by suggesting that traits developed in response to environmental pressures could be genetically transmitted.
The justification for colonialism often involved portraying populations in equatorial climates as:
Answer: Less civilized and more degenerate.
A common colonial justification involved characterizing populations in equatorial climates as less civilized and more degenerate, thereby framing colonial intervention as a civilizing mission.
Ellen Churchill Semple applied environmental determinism by mapping civilization onto the topography of the Philippines, imposing racial stereotypes.
Answer: True
Ellen Churchill Semple was a prominent proponent of environmental determinism, using case studies like the Philippines to illustrate her theories, which often incorporated racialized interpretations.
Jared Diamond argues in 'Guns, Germs, and Steel' that Eurasian dominance resulted from racial superiority rather than environmental advantages.
Answer: False
Jared Diamond's central thesis in 'Guns, Germs, and Steel' is that geographical and environmental endowments, not racial superiority, explain the differential development of civilizations.
Diamond used the Spanish conquest of the Americas to show how indigenous environmental advantages allowed them to repel European invaders.
Answer: False
Diamond utilized the Spanish conquest of the Americas as a case study to demonstrate how Eurasian environmental advantages, including advanced technology and disease resistance, facilitated European dominance over indigenous populations.
Jeffrey Herbst argues that Africa's environmental conditions hindered the development of dense, hierarchical states compared to Europe.
Answer: True
In 'States and Power in Africa,' Jeffrey Herbst posits that environmental conditions, such as the costliness of establishing territorial control and the nature of agriculture, impeded the formation of strong, centralized states in Africa relative to Europe.
According to Herbst, Europe's geographic pressures favored wars of conquest, leading to the development of robust institutions and centralized power.
Answer: True
Herbst contrasts Africa's state-building challenges with Europe's, where geographic pressures and competition fostered the development of more robust institutions and centralized state power through frequent warfare.
Dr. Marcella Alsan suggests the prevalence of the tsetse fly in Africa aided early state formation by promoting large-scale cattle ranching.
Answer: False
Dr. Marcella Alsan argues that the tsetse fly's prevalence in Africa hindered state formation by preventing large-scale cattle ranching, a practice that provided advantages for state development in other regions.
Alsan posits that the availability of livestock provided European societies with advantages that facilitated the formation of centralized institutions.
Answer: True
Alsan suggests that the relative abundance of livestock in Europe offered advantages, such as reduced labor needs and diminished reliance on slave labor, which contributed to the formation of centralized institutions.
Engerman and Sokoloff found that factor endowments, like climate and soil, significantly influenced the initial success and institutional development of American colonies.
Answer: True
Engerman and Sokoloff's work highlights how initial factor endowments, such as climate and soil suitability for profitable crops, critically shaped the institutional frameworks that developed in the American colonies.
According to Engerman and Sokoloff, plantation economies tended to foster democratic political institutions and widespread investment in education.
Answer: False
Engerman and Sokoloff found that plantation economies, driven by factor endowments like sugar cultivation, tended to foster elite control and inequality, whereas smallholder economies were more conducive to democratic institutions and education.
Geographical studies suggest that landlocked countries generally have higher average incomes due to lower trade costs.
Answer: False
Geographical studies typically find that landlocked countries face higher trade costs and slower knowledge dissemination, often resulting in lower average incomes compared to countries with extensive coastlines.
Rugged terrain is generally viewed as hindering societal growth due to difficulties in farming and travel.
Answer: True
Rugged terrain typically presents challenges for agriculture, transportation, and communication, thereby hindering societal development, although some studies note potential protective benefits against historical threats like the slave trade.
Temperate zones generally experience lower standards of living and GDP per capita compared to tropical zones.
Answer: False
Conversely, temperate zones generally exhibit higher standards of living and GDP per capita, often attributed to factors like greater soil fertility, fewer endemic diseases, and more favorable conditions for sustained productivity.
Philip M. Parker's theory suggests that a country's economic development is significantly predicted by its distance from the equator.
Answer: True
Philip M. Parker's theory of climatic determinism, sometimes termed the 'equatorial paradox,' posits that distance from the equator is a strong predictor of economic development, suggesting humans are incentivized to create wealth in colder climates.
Ellsworth Huntington argued that climates further north than northwestern Europe were ideal for civilization.
Answer: False
Ellsworth Huntington considered northwestern Europe's climate to be ideal for civilization, believing climates further north were too cold and those further south were too hot, leading to lethargy.
Diamond argued that Eurasia's north-south orientation facilitated the spread of crops and technologies across similar latitudes.
Answer: False
Diamond argued that Eurasia's east-west orientation, rather than north-south, facilitated the spread of agriculture and technology across similar latitudes and climates, providing a significant advantage.
Which of the following scholars is known for applying environmental determinism to map civilization onto the topography of the Philippines?
Answer: Ellen Churchill Semple
Ellen Churchill Semple was a prominent scholar who applied environmental determinist principles, including mapping civilization onto geographical features, as seen in her work concerning the Philippines.
In 'Guns, Germs, and Steel,' Jared Diamond primarily argues that Eurasian dominance was due to:
Answer: Geographic and environmental endowments, such as favorable climates and animal domestication.
Diamond's central argument is that Eurasia's geographical and environmental advantages, including its east-west orientation, climate, and availability of domesticable species, were the primary factors behind its historical dominance.
What disadvantage did Diamond identify for the Americas compared to Eurasia in terms of continental orientation?
Answer: Its north-south orientation hindered the spread of agriculture and technology.
Diamond highlighted the Americas' north-south continental orientation as a disadvantage, impeding the diffusion of crops, technologies, and innovations across diverse climatic zones compared to Eurasia's east-west axis.
Jeffrey Herbst's analysis in 'States and Power in Africa' suggests that state formation in Africa was hindered by:
Answer: Environmental conditions that made establishing territorial control costly.
Herbst argues that Africa's environmental conditions, such as abundant arable land and dispersed populations, made it more difficult and costly to establish and maintain centralized territorial control compared to the pressures faced in Europe.
Engerman and Sokoloff found that factor endowments in American colonies influenced institutional development. For example, sugar cultivation tended to lead to:
Answer: Plantation economies with large, dependent populations and elite control.
Engerman and Sokoloff observed that factor endowments favoring crops like sugar led to plantation economies characterized by large, dependent labor forces and concentrated elite control, rather than democratic structures.
Geographical studies often link extensive coastlines to higher average incomes primarily because:
Answer: Waterways historically facilitated trade, irrigation, and food sources.
Extensive coastlines provide access to waterways, which have historically been crucial for facilitating trade, supporting agriculture through irrigation, and providing access to food resources, contributing to higher economic development.
While rugged terrain generally hinders development, Nunn and Puga's research suggests a potential long-term benefit in Africa:
Answer: It provided protection against the slave trade.
Nunn and Puga's research indicates that rugged terrain, while posing developmental challenges, offered a protective advantage against the slave trade in Africa, potentially contributing to long-term demographic and economic resilience.
What is a primary reason cited for lower productivity and GDP per capita in tropical climates compared to temperate zones?
Answer: Conditions favoring infectious diseases and lower soil fertility.
Tropical climates often present challenges such as lower soil fertility, conditions conducive to infectious diseases, and less reliable water supply, which collectively contribute to lower productivity and GDP per capita compared to temperate regions.
Philip M. Parker's 'equatorial paradox' theory suggests that humans are incentivized to create wealth in colder climates because:
Answer: They seek to restore physiological comfort found in warmer climates.
Parker's theory posits that humans, originating in warmer climates, are motivated to generate wealth in colder regions to achieve a level of physiological comfort that is naturally present in warmer environments.
Ellsworth Huntington argued that northwestern Europe's climate was ideal for civilization, believing climates further south were too:
Answer: Hot and conducive to laziness.
Huntington believed that climates further south than northwestern Europe were excessively hot, leading to populations characterized by laziness and a diminished capacity for sustained civilization.
Diamond's theory regarding Eurasia's east-west orientation suggests it facilitated:
Answer: The rapid spread of crops, livestock, and technologies across similar latitudes.
Diamond argued that Eurasia's east-west orientation allowed for the efficient diffusion of agricultural innovations, domesticated animals, and technologies across regions with similar climatic conditions, fostering faster development.
Which factor did Alsan identify as providing European societies with an advantage over African societies in terms of labor and technology?
Answer: Relative availability of livestock.
Alsan suggests that the relative availability of livestock in Europe provided advantages, such as reduced labor requirements and less reliance on slave labor, which facilitated the development of centralized institutions.
What did Engerman and Sokoloff find regarding the influence of factor endowments on political institutions?
Answer: Plantation economies tended to foster elite control and inequality, while smallholder economies were more equitable and democratic.
Engerman and Sokoloff's research indicated that factor endowments influenced political institutions, with plantation economies leading to elite control and inequality, while smallholder economies tended toward greater equity and democracy.
How did Huntington view the climate of northwestern Europe in relation to civilization?
Answer: Ideal for fostering civilization.
Ellsworth Huntington considered the climate of northwestern Europe to be optimal for the development and sustenance of civilization, believing it struck a balance between being too cold and too hot.
Which of the following is NOT a factor Jared Diamond highlighted as contributing to Eurasian advantages?
Answer: Development of advanced democratic institutions.
Diamond's analysis focused on geographical and ecological factors such as continental orientation, animal domestication, and climate, not the development of democratic institutions, as primary drivers of Eurasian advantages.
According to Herbst, why did Africa's environmental factors hinder state-building compared to Europe?
Answer: Africa had too much arable land, allowing people to flee rulers.
Herbst posits that Africa's environmental conditions, including abundant arable land, enabled populations to evade state control more easily, thereby hindering the development of centralized states compared to Europe's more constrained environment.
What impact did infectious diseases in tropical climates have on economic development, according to the source?
Answer: They caused mortality, imposed economic burdens, and deterred foreign investment.
Infectious diseases prevalent in tropical climates contribute to mortality, impose significant economic burdens through healthcare costs, and deter foreign investment, thereby negatively impacting economic development.
A major criticism of environmental determinism is that it fails to acknowledge the role of human agency and cultural factors in societal development.
Answer: True
Critics argue that environmental determinism oversimplifies complex societal development by downplaying the significance of human choices, cultural innovations, political decisions, and historical contingencies.
David Landes praised Ellsworth Huntington's work for its objective analysis of civilizations, free from moral judgments.
Answer: False
David Landes strongly criticized Huntington's work, labeling it an 'unscientific moral geography' that hierarchically classified civilizations based on subjective environmental influences.
Critics like Acemoglu and Robinson argue that Diamond's 'Guns, Germs, and Steel' is outdated and favors an institutional approach over environmental determinism.
Answer: True
Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson have critiqued Diamond's work, suggesting it is outdated and that institutional factors provide a more robust explanation for long-term economic development than purely environmental ones.
Acemoglu, Johnson, and Robinson linked colonial disease environments to the development of either egalitarian or exploitative institutions.
Answer: True
The research by Acemoglu, Johnson, and Robinson suggests that colonial disease environments influenced the establishment of institutions, leading to either more egalitarian or more exploitative systems, which subsequently affected political regimes.
William Easterly and Ross Levine argued that institutions, not geography, are the primary drivers of income differences between countries.
Answer: True
Easterly and Levine challenged purely geographic explanations by emphasizing the critical role of institutions in determining economic development and income disparities between nations.
Nugent and Robinson found that factor endowments alone decisively determined institutional development in 19th-century South American coffee economies.
Answer: False
Nugent and Robinson's study indicated that while factor endowments played a role, colonial norms, elite backgrounds, and political competition were more decisive in shaping institutional development in 19th-century South American coffee economies.
A key criticism of environmental determinism is its tendency to oversimplify complex societal development by downplaying human agency.
Answer: True
Critics contend that environmental determinism's focus on geography can lead to an oversimplification of societal development, neglecting the crucial roles of human agency, cultural choices, and historical context.
David Landes criticized Ellsworth Huntington's work for:
Answer: Attributing all human activity to physical influences in an 'unscientific moral geography.'
David Landes vehemently criticized Huntington's approach, characterizing it as an 'unscientific moral geography' that overemphasized physical influences and led to a hierarchical classification of civilizations.
Acemoglu, Johnson, and Robinson's research suggests that colonial disease environments influenced:
Answer: The development of either free/egalitarian or exploitative institutions.
Acemoglu, Johnson, and Robinson's work indicates that colonial disease environments shaped the institutional structures established, leading to either egalitarian or exploitative systems that had long-term political consequences.
William Easterly and Ross Levine challenged purely geographic explanations for economic development by emphasizing the role of:
Answer: Institutions.
Easterly and Levine argued that institutions, rather than geography, are the primary drivers of economic development, citing examples where institutional quality explained income differences more effectively than environmental factors.
Nugent and Robinson's study on 19th-century South American coffee economies suggested that institutional development was more decisively shaped by:
Answer: Colonial norms, elite backgrounds, and political competition.
Nugent and Robinson found that factors such as colonial legacies, the characteristics of elites, and political competition were more influential in shaping institutional development than factor endowments alone in 19th-century South American coffee economies.
A key criticism of environmental determinism is its potential to:
Answer: Oversimplify complex societal development by downplaying multiple factors.
Environmental determinism is criticized for its tendency to oversimplify the complex dynamics of societal development by potentially underemphasizing factors such as human agency, cultural diversity, and historical contingencies.
Which criticism suggests environmental determinism oversimplifies development by ignoring factors like human choices and historical events?
Answer: It downplays the role of human agency and cultural factors.
A primary critique of environmental determinism is its tendency to oversimplify complex societal development by underemphasizing the significance of human agency, cultural choices, and unique historical circumstances.
Neo-environmental determinism, as advanced by scholars such as Jared Diamond, explicitly rejects any consideration of geographical or ecological factors in societal development.
Answer: False
Neo-environmental determinism, rather than rejecting geographical and ecological factors, re-examines their influence, often while explicitly distancing itself from the racist justifications of earlier deterministic theories.
Andrew Sluyter coined the term 'neo-environmental determinism' and argued it has fully distanced itself from classical predecessors.
Answer: False
Andrew Sluyter coined the term 'neo-environmental determinism' but argued that this modern approach has not sufficiently distanced itself from its historical and imperial predecessors.
Who are the contemporary social scientists credited with sparking a revival of environmental determinism in the late 20th and early 21st centuries?
Answer: Jared Diamond, Jeffrey Herbst, and Ian Morris
Jared Diamond, Jeffrey Herbst, and Ian Morris are prominent figures associated with the resurgence of environmental determinist arguments in recent decades, often referred to as neo-environmental determinism.
How does neo-environmental determinism, as practiced by figures like Jared Diamond, distinguish itself from earlier forms of the theory?
Answer: It explicitly rejects racist explanations and attributes societal differences to environmental advantages.
Neo-environmental determinism, exemplified by Diamond's work, seeks to explain societal differences through environmental factors while consciously avoiding the racist justifications prevalent in earlier forms of the theory.
What criticism did Andrew Sluyter level against neo-environmental determinism?
Answer: It has not sufficiently distanced itself from its imperial predecessors.
Andrew Sluyter argued that neo-environmental determinism, despite its aims, has not adequately separated itself from the problematic historical and imperial contexts of earlier environmental determinist theories.