THE NATURE OF GEOGRAPHY

A Critical Survey of Current Thought in the
Light of the Past


"Lassen Sie uns mit vorsichtiger Kritik, aber nicht zaghaften Sinnes, sondern in mutigem Denken und in froher Zuversicht an dem weiteren Ausbau...unserer Wissenschaft arbeiten."
ALFRED HETTNER, 1907.

CONTENTS

A FORWARD BY THE EDITOR

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ABSTRACT

WORKS CITED IN THE TEXT

Chapter

I. INTRODUCTION

A. Historical background of American geography
B. Attempts to reform the nature of geography
C. The purpose of this study
D. The need for an historical study
II.THE NATURE OF GEOGRAPHY ACCORDING TO ITS HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT
A. The pre-classical period of modern geography
B. The classical period: Humboldt and Ritter
C. Shifting viewpoints in the second half of the nineteenth century
D. The immediate background of current geography
III. DEVIATIONS FROM THE COURSE OF HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT
A. Attempts to construct a "scientific" geography
B. Geography as a science of the planet earth
C. Geography as a science of relationships
D. Geography as the science of distributions
IV. THE JUSTIFICATION FOR THE HISTORICAL CONCEPT OF GEOGRAPHY AS A CHOROGRAPHIC SCIENCE
A. The common-sense justification
B. The logical justification: the position of geography in relation to other sciences
C. Importance of the comparison of geography and history
D. Disagreements concerning the character of geography as a chorographic science
V. "LANDSCHAFT" AND "LANDSCAPE"
A. The present confusion
B. A solution for "landscape"
C. Natural and cultural landscapes
VI. THE RELATION OF HISTORY TO GEOGRAPHY
A . Geography in history
B. History in geography
C. Historical geography
VII. THE LIMITATION OF THE PHENOMENA OF GEOGRAPHY TO THINGS PERCEIVED BY THE SENSES
A. Significance in current thought
B. Is the limitation logically founded?
C. Is the limitation consistent with the historical development of the field?
D. Does the limitation provide a unified field?
E. Practical results of the concept
F. Relation to the study of settlement forms
G. Summary
VIII. A LOGICAL BASIS FOR THE SELECTION OF DATA IN GEOGRAPHY
A. Derived from the fundamental concept of geography
B. The criteria for the selection of data
C.. Application of the criteria
D. Relation of the criteria to the special technique of geography
IX. THE CONCEPT OF THE REGION AS A CONCRETE UNIT OBJECT
A. Various statements of the concept
B. The purpose of the concept
C. Is the geographic area an organism?
D. Harmony and rhythm in the geographic area
E. Is the geographic area a concrete unitary object?
F. Apparent and partial forms of areal units
G. Conclusion: practical results of the concept
X. METHODS OF ORGANIZING THE WORLD INTO REGIONS
A. Theoretical principles of regional division
B. Types of systems that have been constructed
C. Systems of "natural regions"
D. Systems of specific regions: Hettner's genetic system
E. Comparative systems of generic regions based on elements of the natural environment
F. Comparative systems of generic regions based on cultural element-complexes
G. The practicability and validity of comparative systems of cultural regions
H. Summary
XI. WHAT KIND OF SCIENCE IS GEOGRAPHY
A. "What's in a name?"
B. The character of geography as determined by its position among the sciences
C. The character of geography in relation to the general nature of science
D. Generic concepts and principles in geography
E. Organization of knowledge in geography
F. Comparison of the organization in geography with that in other integrating sciences
G. The character of systematic geography
H. The character of regional geography
I. The integrated dualism of geography
XII.CONCLUSION: THE NATURE OF GEOGRAPHY

SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES

AUTHOR INDEX

SUBJECT INDEX

Created on January 7, 1998 by RRR. Last revised 1999.4.1. KEF.