Man - Environment Interrelationship

Man –Environment
Interrelationship
The relationship between the man and the environment
has been established in the early periods itself.
Human beings live in the kingdom of nature and interact

with it constantly. The influence of nature in the form of
the air he breathes, the water he drinks, the food he eats,
and the flow of energy and information.
Any change in the environment can not only result in

devastating effects, but can also pose a threat to the
human race.
• The two words Man and environment are not new to the human
history and the interrelation between them is well established.
• Thinking about the environment is as old as our first human

ancestors. Their survival depended on knowledge of it.
• Concern for the environment is also not new. Since ancient times,
people have known the importance of preserving it. Worshipping
of trees and rivers, animals and the birds was not based on the
superstition; but there was a hidden message preserving and
protecting of the environment. The religious rituals served an
important purpose- they made people aware of the environment
and its important and so indirectly helped preserve and nourishes
it. Religion is used largely to ensure community participation in all
those practices that would lead to the maintenance of ecological
balance
• Man is the only living organism capable of modifying its
surrounding environment according to the need. Other
animals change according to the environment.
• Indians, have worshiped nature. We have lived in harmony

with nature. However, of late, we have followed western
countries past of conflict with nature. The result is that today,
we observe and experience, over all environmental
degradation. Any objective view of state of environment, of
India or any developing countries would clearly show that 1)
Soils are eroding 2) Forests retreat 3) Water quality is
unsatisfactory. 4) Urban air quality is worse. 5) Watersheds
are losing storage capacity. 6) Reservoirs are filled up with
sediments. 7) Wildlife and their habitats are being eliminated.
8) Solids wastes pile up and smolder 9) Costal spawning
grounds disappear
• Some of these components have
changed to such an extent that can
not be set right by self regulatory
mechanism of the environment.
Consequently, the changed
environmental conditions adversely
affect the living organisms of the
biosphere. Not only can the
changes be devastating but also
can threaten human race.
Approaches to study
interrelationship between man and
Env.
•There are various philosophies
put forwarded by various
school of thoughts to study
the man environment
relationship in a better and
easy way which are as follows:
DETERMINISM: -
• The first approach adopted to generalize the patterns of
human occupations of the earth surface was
deterministic.
• Determinism is one of the most important philosophies
which persisted up to the Second World War in one shape
or the other.
• It says that the strong forces of environment control the
course of human action. This implies that all the aspects
of human life,physical health and comfort,social,
economy , history, culture,ethical mode of life, and the
level of development of the societal groups and countries
are exclusively dependent but dominantly controlled by
the physical environment
Economic Deterministic Approach
• Based on basic ideology of Mans mastery
over Environment and continued economic
and industrial expansion.
• Economic growth is needed for political,
social and economic stability.
• Quality of Environment assumes lower
priority in formulating planning proposals
and in long time planning.
• Deterioration of environment is generally
protacted and socially less oblique than
deterioration in economy.
Teleological
approach
• Based on religious faith of man being superior.
• Emanated from Judeo-Christian religious
tradition which preached
• Man is superior to all and everything is
created for his use and enjoyment.
• Exploit natural resource and sub due nature
without considering aftermath.
• One of the reason for overexploitation/loss of
resources
SHIFTING FROM DETERMINISM TO
POSSIBILISM: -
• Emerged through critism of Environmental determinism and overtone of
teleological approach.
• There is no doubt that environment influence man and man in turn influence his
environment. This interaction between man and his environment is so intricate
that it becomes almost impossible to find out that when one’s effect ceases and
the other’s effect begins. Many landscapes that appear natural to us are in truth
the work of man. Wheat, barley, olive, and vine, which dominate the
Mediterranean countries, are entirely the products of human effort.
• Man with the help of technological development has modified the nature for
example he has created canals for making the water available in the extreme
desert areas for making it suitable for living. The concept of possibilism says that
nature provide a number of opportunities and possibilities from among which man
is free to select or choose. The philosophy states that man with the help of his
mind and will changes the influence of nature on him. The philosophy of
possibilism attempts to explain the man and environment relationship in different
way taking man as an active agent. The philosophy further states that nature
provides opportunities and the number of opportunities increases as the
knowledge and technology of a cultural group increases.
• Possibilistics were aware that man cant
fully tame nature.
• As such replaced terms like control by
influence and influence by response
and adjustment
Ecological approach
• Man integral part of Environment.
• Relation between man and
environment two directional as
environment influences man and he
inturn influences and modifies
environment.

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Man –Environment

Human beings live in the kingdom of nature and interact

Any change in the environment can not only result in

• Thinking about the environment is as old as our first human

• Indians, have worshiped nature. We have lived in harmony

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