Geography - History and Concepts : A Student's Guide

Rating:
Summary: A model text
Review: This book is now out in a third edition (SAGE Publications, 1999). It is a book about geography, but I review it as a model on how an author in one of the (social) sciences can analyze his discipline in a philosophical way. ------ The book presents different philosophical positions such as positivism, marxism, structuralism, realism and poststructuralism in a clear way and describes how such positions have influenced the development of geography. In my opinion such philosophical analysis of (social) sciences are rare, but extremely important. I whish I knew of similar qualified books in all other domains. Such books shows that sciences are built on assumptions, that can be questioned and they help developing critical thinking.

Rating:
Summary: A thoughtful and thorough look at Ge
Review: This book starts each chapter with a nearly intangible discussion of the philosophical aspects of geography for the respective period, then gets into very good summaries of the period, its key players and concepts. Its also sprinkled with great examples of work that illustrates research at the various periods which help cement the concepts.

I expect this will be a useful reference for those time when I forget the difference between structuration theory and realism.