The modern academic discipline of geography is rooted in ancient practice. Its separate identity was first formulated and named some 2,000 years ago by the Greeks when they combined the Greek words geo and graphein to mean ‘earth writing’ or ‘earth description’.
Every discipline pivots around its specific fundamental philosophies. Fundamentals of Geographical Thought identifies the basic philosophies of geography, from the ancient through the medieval to the modern/post-modern, which guided the development of different schools of geography in India, Germany, France, Great Britain, the USA, Russia and/or former Soviet Union, and in others. It also highlights the philosophical and methodological conflicts that took place during the various periods of conceptual development of the discipline, and measures the impacts of Darwinism on both the philosophy and the scientific character of geography.
The introductory chapter of the book deals with the content, purpose, nature, schools and approaches of geography. The other 19 chapters discuss different schools of geography in historical perspectives, and compare the extent of similarities and differences between them.
The volume:
- discusses the application of geographical principles and skills to the resolution of practical problems,
- reveals why geography is qualified to be categorised as a science,
- presents the information in a simple, easy-to-comprehend language and style,
- portrays extensive pedagogical features like chapter highlights and diagrams, and
- covers the undergraduate syllabi of geographical thought across all major universities.
Lucidly written, this volume will be invaluable for undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as for scholars, teachers and practitioners of geography.