serendipityoucity

If not infrastructure determinism then what? 

Determinism is the

“theory that examination of one or more definable factors allows for a complete explanation and prediction of the characteristics of society or the individual” (Online Dictionary of the Social Sciences).  

If humans are not controlled by their environment, technologies and infrastructures then are humans always agents of free will?  If humans are always agents of free will does that mean it is not possible to predict any types of behaviour or societal outcomes of a given infrastructure?  If we can’t predict any kind of behaviour how to explain patterns of doing things, and how do marketers make money, what of education, history, culture, geography, etc.  If not reductionism then is it holism?

Possibilism is

“the view that the physical environment provides the opportunity for a range of possible human responses and that people have considerable discretion to choose between them” (Dictionary of Human Geography 3^rd edition, 1994).

Possibilism removes the absolutist causal approach found in determinism and maintains human agency.  Infrastructures as both part of the physical and social environment provide for a range of human responses. Infrastructure possibilism at the moment seems to hold a bit more promise then determinism.  The environment is

“both a facteurs géograhiques and an agents de formation humaine” (Vidal de la Blache in Dictionary of Human Geography 2nd edition, 1984).  

Therefore the physical environment and the social environment are on par in the endless possibilities being provided to humans to discernably choose from and act.  My academic advisor yesterday after reading and briefly discussing my thoughts on infrastructure determinism indicated that possibilism was far too open ended and needs to be tempered with probabilism since anything is possible but not all is probable.  Probabilism is the

“view that although the physical environment does not uniquely determine human actions, it does nevertheless make some responses more likely than others” (Dictionary of Human Geography 3^rd edition, 1994). 

It is not all or nothing, nor compulsion but a choice based on the balancing of probabilities.  With probabilims comes prediction, closely associated with positivism and all the quantitativism and empiricism associated with it.  Probabilism is nonetheless considered a half way point between determinism and possibilism. 

Infrastructure determinism is absolutist, reductionist and excludes human agency, infrastructure possibilism is very general and suggests that infrastructures and society are not mutually exclusive entities, and that one influences the other, in the former physical form and in the other behaviour, use etc.  It does not however enable prediction while infrastructure probabilism accepts that infrastructure will to some extent determine human actions but not completely, not in all cases and with a marginal degree of certainty, would be contingent on a number of other factors.

I’m liking the direction this is going. ism this fun! hardiharhar!