Ellsworth Huntington
19 episodes listed below
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This book takes a deep dive into the intricate interplay between geography and civilization, exploring how climate influences human achievement across the globe. Through a series of comparative maps, it examines the distribution of education, industry, and civil development in relation to seasonal variations and diverse climatic factors. By scrutinizing these elements, the narrative reveals how geography subtly shapes the course of human destiny. Join us as we uncover the profound connections between our environment and the evolution of societies, presented in a thought-provoking manner. - Summary by Leon Harvey
Based on 5 episodes we listened to · September 2026
A full audio presentation of a climatic theory of civilization, valuable for both its comparative evidence and its revealing limitations.
Civilization and Climate turns Ellsworth Huntington's book into a chapter-by-chapter audio argument, recorded by Leon Harvey. Its central question is unusually expansive: how climate, health, agriculture and shifting weather zones might influence where civilizations develop.
Owens Lake's salt has been called to testify about empires; you may want a pencil for cross-examination.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A forceful climate argument that is more revealing than it is persuasive.
Huntington turns to the stubborn cases that complicate his climate thesis: high civilizations in tropical lowlands, the limits of agriculture on grasslands, and the role of domestic animals in making settled life possible.
A brisk, old-school case for weather's grip on health.
The episode treats weather as something that can act on the body, not just the mood. It argues that health does best in moderate, changeable conditions, and it does not leave that as a hunch.
A confident climate argument that links civilization, migration, and moral life.
Huntington's chapter makes a steady case that climate helps set the terms on which civilization moves forward. It moves from economics into history, and the Palestine case in a dry year gives the argument something concrete to stand on.
A thesis-heavy chapter, but its evidence keeps the climatic argument grounded.
The chapter pushes the book's main climatic hypothesis forward and puts it through three objections: ancient civilizations in places now described as relatively unstimulating, American Indians who did not develop a high civilization even in favorable climates, and Europeans in…
A sweeping climate-history argument that treats civilization as a shifting map.
The chapter frames civilization as a moving arc, tracing it from China through India, Persia, Mesopotamia, Egypt, and beyond, while tying those centers to climatic energy.
Documentary storytelling on ecology and Indigenous land stewardship, hosted by Mendel and Adam.
Books, systems, and the questions that unlock them.
Coastal science, patiently and beautifully reported.
Soil life, climate repair, practical regeneration.
Chapter 14 of Civilization and Climate argues that historic climate changed in pulses, not as one steady trend, and dates those shifts with Herodotus, 650 A.D., 1000 A.D., and the 13th century.
This episode examines the relationship between climate and human achievement in the United States through statistical analysis.
Chapter 17 of Civilization and Climate, read by Leon Harvey, argues that tropical lowlands in Java, Indochina, Peru, southern Arabia, Rhodesia, and Yemen do not by themselves overturn Ellsworth Huntington's climate thesis.
Ellsworth Huntington's Chapter 18 of Civilization and Climate argues that climate, racial inheritance, and cultural development together shape civilization, and he uses the chapter to answer the objection that climate cannot be a real historical force.
Civilization and Climate, chapter 7, "Health and Atmosphere," ties weather to health, energy, and death rates.
This episode examines the relationship between atmospheric humidity and mortality rates in Paris, using statistical data to challenge common assumptions.
This episode examines how climate and geography influence the distribution of civilization, using comparative maps and statistical methods.
This episode compares maps of climatic energy and human progress to explore how climate shapes civilization.
This episode reads Chapter 15 of 'Climate and Civilization' by Ellsworth Huntington, discussing the pulsatory hypothesis and criticisms of climate change theories.
Ellsworth Huntington's Civilization and Climate argues that historic climate pulsations may help explain changes in civilization.
This episode examines the relationship between weather and health through historical mortality data.
Civilization and Climate’s “The Effect Of The Seasons” contrasts people’s weather impressions with measured factory output and seasonal changes.
This episode explores the concept of an ideal climate for human work and health, arguing that moderate climates like London and New York are optimal.