Page "Environmental determinism" Paragraph 6

Between 1920 and 1940, environmental determinism came under repeated attacks as its claims were found to be severely faulted at best, and often dangerously wrong.

Geographers reacted to this by first developing the softer notion of " environmental possibilism ," and later by abandoning the search for theory and causal explanation for many decades.

Later critics charged that determinism served to justify racism and imperialism.

The experience of environmental determinism has left a scar on geography, with many geographers reacting negatively to any suggestion of environmental influences on human society.

Some believe this rejection has gone too far, and that incorporating environmental factors into explanations of social outcomes is not only useful but necessary.