Discuss the Naturalisation of Humans and Humanisation of Nature.

Approach

• Write definition of human geography in the introduction.
• Explain naturalisation of humans with examples.
• Explain humanisation of nature with examples.
• Conclude.

Answer

“Human geography is the study of “the changing relationship between the unresting man and the unstable earth.” – Ellen C. Semple.

Naturalisation of Humans

In the early stages of their interaction with their natural environment humans were greatly influenced by nature. They adapted to the dictates of Nature. This is so because the level of technology was very low, and the stage of human social development was also primitive.

This type of interaction between primitive human society and strong forces of nature was termed as environmental determinism. At that stage of very low technological development we can imagine the presence of a naturalised human, who listened to Nature, was afraid of its fury and worshipped it.

Example – Rig-Vedic Indians worshiped the forces of nature as Gods viz. Agni, Indra, Vayu and Usha etc.

There is direct dependence of human beings on nature for resources which sustain them. The physical environment for such societies becomes the “Mother Nature”.

Humanisation of Nature

The people begin to understand their environment and the forces of nature with the passage of time. With social and cultural development, humans develop better and more efficient technology. They move from a state of necessity to a state of freedom. They create possibilities with the resources obtained from the environment. The human activities create cultural landscape. The imprints of human activities are created everywhere; health resorts on highlands, huge urban sprawls, fields, orchards and pastures in plains and rolling hills, ports on the coasts, oceanic routes on the oceanic surface and satellites in the space. The earlier scholars termed this as possibilism.

Nature provides opportunities and human being make use of these and slowly nature gets humanised and starts bearing the imprints of human endeavour.

Technology indicates the level of cultural development of society. Human beings were able to develop technology after they developed better understanding of natural laws. Hence both naturalisation of humans and humanisation of nature are relative phenomenon.