The Theory of Environment

Setting about to inform myself on the history of the theory of milieu, I determined to obtain for myself, if possible, a tolerably complete idea, at least in its essentials, of the theory of milieu, to see where the theory led to, where it started from, what changes it has undergone, and what were its ramifications. My plan was to state briefly my findings in a chapter preparatory to stating Herder’s idea of milieu. As guide-posts were lacking, at least I knew of none, I was bound to seek by accident and for a number of years. In stumbling along, I first chanced upon the Herder-Taine problem. When my material swelled to proportions that could not be controlled in part of a chapter or in a chapter, I had to separate it, by its main divisions, into parts. The question arose, should it be a concrete treatise on environment. I soon found that to be, at least for the time being, beyond my province and also beyond my present purpose; besides, it would have swerved me too far afield; moreover, it would have had to be limited to a small portion of the subject. My present concern in this theory being genetic and historical, it seemed best to assemble all the sources one could find bearing on the history of the theory and to indicate the trend of its development in a rough preliminary sketch. Such a sketch is a requisite first step and perhaps a modest contribution to a history of the theory under consideration.