positivism and other paradigms
2007.
There is no single, unified philosophical approach to the academic subject of geography, but attempts have been made to group and devise a chronology for the various paradigms. Physical geography tends to stick to positivism, using the scientific method and statistics heavily. For human geography, in recent years various approaches have been developed that form part of the so-called ‘cultural turn’ and these too are linked to specific objectives and method but generally not so much positivism. In human geograpy, the most recent popular advances are approaches that can be described as ‘postmodern’ where specific objectives and method seem to be more to do with the problem than the solution. Lastly, a language of terminology must be understood before proper understanding of the meaning of these approaches can be acquired.
The below are summaries of paradigms from Kitchin and Tate (Conducting Research in Human Geography: Theory, Methodology and Practice, 2000).
Empiricism refers to the school of thought where facts are believed to speak for themselves and require little theoretical explanation. Empiricists hold that science should only be concerned with objects in the world and seek factual content about them. Normative questions concerning the values and intentions of people are excluded from study as it is claimed we cannot scientifically measure them. A source of primary data is closed-question questionnaires. Positivists argue that by carefully and objectively collecting data regarding social phenomena, we can determine laws to predict and explain human behaviour in terms of cause and effect. Like empiricists, positivists reject normative and metaphysical (relating to being) questions that cannot be measured scientifically.Idealism Geography Guelke - Bookshelf
Geography, history and concepts : a student's guide
This introduction to the history, philosophy and methodology of human geography explores complex ideas in an intelligible and accessible style.The dictionary of human geography
This path-breaking guide to the concepts, terms and theories used in human geography has now been fully revised to reflect and to advance changes in the nature ...Idealism, An Essay, Metaphysical and Critical
Kant's idealism
In Kant's Idealism, Professor Neujahr argues--he may be the first to do so--that there is no single doctrine that is Kant's transcendental idealism to either ...Geography, a global synthesis
Day-to-day Articles Directory
Session 2: symbolic geographies
Idealism: 'an attempt to discover the thought that lies behind ... their geographical expression' (Guelke, 1982, p. 9) Idealism and Cultural Geography ...
GEOG 5803: GEOGRAPHIC THOUGHT
Guelke advocates instead an approach known as idealism. Idealism sees ... The ultimate value of humanistic geography, according to Pickles, "has been its ...
Humanistic Geography
Guelke (1971) extended Harris' view by mentioning that when geography is a law ... the idealism and phenomenology needs to incorporate these constraints ( Radical ...
GEOG 5025 Research Design & Formulation in Geography (Resources)
Guelke, L. 1978. " Geography and logical positivism" in D. Herbert and R. J. Johnston ... Humanistic Geography, Phenomenology, Idealism, Realism, Structuration ...
AAG CONFERENCE IN DENVER
geography of religions and belief systems that is substantial and ... geography of religion to transcend other closely. related disciplines: Jeanne Kay Guelke ...