Human and the Environment:

1. Environmental Determinism

It is the belief that the environment i.e. physical factors such as landforms and climate

determines the patterns of human culture and social development. Environmental determinists believe
that ecological, climate and geographical factors are responsible for human cultures and individual decisions. Aristotle and Plato explained the environmental determinism by using climate factors. The rise of most prominent stage of environmental determinsim in modern geography in the beginning of the late 19th century when it was revived by Ratzel. It regarded men as a passive agents who were not free and adapted according to the nature. Humans are naturalized according to this theory.

2. Possibilism

It began from 1920. It states that the environment sets limitations for cultural development but it does not wholly define culture. Culture is defined by opportunities and decisions that humans make in response to deal with such limitations. French Geographer Vidal de la Blache developed this theory as a reaction to environmental determinism. According to this theory, nature got humanized. Technology, capital and efficient organizational skills widens limits of the human and expands range.

3. Neo-Determinism

It was put forward by Griffith Taylor. He argued that possibilists had developed their ideas in temperate environment such as North-Western Europe which had offer several viable alternative forms of human occupance but such environments are rare in the most of the world and the environment is much more extreme. This theory shows neither there is a situation of absolute necessity nor is there a condition of absolute freedom. It states that possibilities can be created within the limits which do not damage the environment. It attempts to bring a balance nullifying the "either" "or" dichotomy.