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"Because India is close to the equator, the environment has a greater carrying capacity than the kinds of first-world, northern nations that the author is used
by turar 14y ago
"Because India is close to the equator, the environment has a greater carrying capacity than the kinds of first-world, northern nations that the author is used to."
By that logic, Russia would have been the most advanced nation in the world a long time ago, yet it's historically been lagging Europe (and later USA) in development. Many in Russia actually use a totally opposite logic: because the environment in Russia is so harsh, warmer climates of Europe and USA have greater advantage in terms of agriculture initially, and infrastructure maintenance later on.
So I don't think it's as simple as that.
- CamperBob2 14y agoSo I don't think it's as simple as that. My take on it: in the US, the climate makes it possible to rise far above the subsistence level, but only with some effort and/or ingenuity. Motivated people have historically been rewarded with better lives, and that truth has influenced our entire culture. In equatorial island countries, it's too easy. What, you think you can spend your whole life relaxing on the beach sipping coconut milk? Well... OK, I guess you can do that. In Russia, it's too hard. If most of your energy and focus is spent just surviving the winter, there won't be enough mojo left to move your society forward. Problems with this climate-centric outlook: African equatorial countries with good, human-friendly climate but problematic cultures, and Nordic countries whose weather rivals Siberia's and whose cultural and technological progress is often compared favorably to that of the US.
- turar 14y agoI think climate may play some role, but it's nowhere near as important as the OP stated. You've got Canada vs Russia, Singapore vs Madagascar, South Korea vs North Korea, Australia vs Papua New Guinea, etc. Basically, there are lots of other factors.
- wowoc 14y agoCanada and Australia are poor examples. Their cultures were developed in a totally different place, and only implanted to where they are now.
- turar 14y agoYes, and the US is in there too. But before Europeans came, there were Native Americans who lived in North America's varied climates, similar to Europe's, yet they were severely lagging in development.
- grandalf 14y agoOf course there are other factors involved as well. Even with an ideal environment there is still a lot that can go wrong.