Did Montesquieu believe climate determined everything?
Some may misunderstand my emphasis on climate. While I observed that climate, along with geography and other physical factors, can influence a people's character and, consequently, their laws and customs, it is not a deterministic force that dictates everything. Human ingenuity, political institutions, and the spirit of a nation are also crucial. Climate sets certain predispositions, but it does not negate the possibility of adaptation and change.
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