environmental determinism
Americannoun
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a doctrine that considers environmental conditions to be the determining factor in the development of an individual, society, or culture.
Advocates and reformers, using a doctrine of environmental determinism, argued that reforming a degraded built environment would reform its residents.
Proponents of environmental determinism would suggest that differences in the education and career aspirations of boys and girls are determined by external socializing forces.
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sometimes used to mean geographical determinism.
Etymology
Origin of environmental determinism
First recorded in 1890–95
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In this case, a misguided acceptance of environmental determinism led to millions of needless deaths.
From Slate • May 11, 2020
Each of the characters, it turns out, is a composite of personal quirks and tribal legacies, of free will and environmental determinism.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 20, 2016
In Collapse, Diamond returned to the theme of environmental determinism as he pondered why and how great civilisations come to an end.
From The Guardian • Jan. 9, 2013
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
