Lecture 4b Explanation in Geography Sk

8/10/2019 Lecture 4b Explanation in Geography Sk

1/19

Explanation in Geography

Geog 305 Lecture 6


2/19

What is Science?

Science is best defined as a careful, disciplined,

logical search for knowledge about any and all

aspects of the universe, obtained by examinationof the best available evidence and always subject

to correction and improvement upon discovery

of better evidence


3/19

What is Explanation

Explanation is any satisfactory or reasonableanswer to WHYor HOWthings happen. An

explanation reduces an unexpected outcome (the

unknown) to an expected outcome (the known). An explanation originates from a reaction or

surprise to some experience

Males and females have different number of teeth: Aristotle

Relative position of Sun and Earth in rotation

You can reach India by going west/east: Columbus


4/19

Puzzle 1


5/19

Puzzle 2


6/19

EXPLANATION IN GEOGRAPHY

The relationship between the views of philosophers, methodologistsand practitioners is expressed in explanation

Science seeks explanations and Geography provides the spatial

explanations of earthly range Because of the gulf between philosophy, methodology and practice, it

is therefore important to understand

How far the views of methodologists of Geography tally with theviews of philosophers of science

The relationship between statements made by methodologists ofgeography and empirical work of geographers

The relationship between the explanatory form accepted bygeographers and that of other disciplines


7/19

Methodology of Geography and Philosophy of ScienceSlow pace of development of rigorous theoretical explanation in

Geography

Adoption of scientific method in geography in varying degrees and shapes

Contradictions in bridging the gap between philosophy and practice

Geography defines its objectives rather than providing explanations

Uniqueness foundation laid by Kant, Hettner and Hartshorne: Uniqueness

or Idiographic method affected geographys development ...Exceptionalismin Geography ...Fred Schaefer

Geography as a spatial science beyond science: scientific method isinappropriate, therefore law-making is possible in the physical sciencesbut irrelevant in human geography (City Campus)

Different systematic themes treated by geographers offer problems or blessings Methodological separatism in geography: integration

Geographical writing and research lacks any generally accepted, over allview of the subject: orthodoxy vrs drifting apart

Geographers were remote from the 'ferment of ideas' and bathed in

euphoria of inertia'


8/19

Methodological controversies in Geography

Explanatory forms in geography are spuriousdue to the

objectives defined by geographers Geographys overall aim of acquiring knowledge of the

world is not at variance with science, but the claim that

some questions, which geographers ask, are beyond

science thereby making it a special science, because the

scientific method cannot answer them is nave.

All sciences have some difficulty in using the

scientific method, but it is a question of degreerather than kind

Geographic methodology needs to move in tandem with

the general philosophical debate.


9/19

Reasons for slow move into scientific mainstream

Idiographic method in early geography and the shiftto nomothetism is difficult

Uniqueness is linked to the absolute concept of space, hencegeographers concerned with locations rather than events andobjects. Uniqueness applied to locations rather than properties

Relative view of space: locations are either not unique or, at best,

unique only within a selected coordinate system The uniqueness thesis does not provide a realistic framework for

explaining and describing without a violation of the notion ofuniqueness

Rejection of environmental determinism led to lost of

interest in law-Making Little effort has been put in geography to explore the 'dialogue between the

empirical-inductive and the theoretical-deductive methods of thought andInvestigation.

Indigenous theories in geography can 'only developed in terms of space-time

language' capturing both Kant's absolute space and relativistic concepts.


10/19

Geographical Explanatory Erameworks

The Hartshornian version of Bacon's/Harvey inductive routeprominent in geography, produces weak theories or only

covering laws or valid general statements.

The failure to achieve a hypothetico-deductive unification of

geographic principles has Relegated most geographic thinking and activity simply to the task of

ordering and classifying data

Restricted our ability to order and classify in any meaningful way.

Explanations have been ad hoc and unsystematic in form.

Geographical explanatory frameworks include: Cognitivedescription, Morphometric analysis, Cause-and-effect analysis,

Temporal or genetic modes of analysis, Functional and ecological

analysis, and systems analysis


11/19

6 Geographical Explanatory Frameworks

Cognitive description

Morphometric analysis

Cause-and-effect analysis

Temporal or genetic modes of analysis

Functional and ecological analysis

Systems analysis


12/19

Cognitive Description

Collection, ordering and classification of data

Answers the question how may the phenomena being

studied be ordered and grouped

Involves a priori notions about structure implicit in theprocess

Primitive theories initially and sophisticated descriptive

statements emerge later

Range in quality from simple primary observations

through to sophisticated descriptive statements


13/19

Morphometric analysisShapes & Form

Answers the question how are phenomena organised interms of their spatial structure and form?

Involves a space-time language which provides aframework within which the geographer examines shapesand forms in space

Assumptions are geometric and amounts to identifying aco-ordinate system

Patterns and shapes of town locations and the structure

of networkscan be explained under this pathway Using the laws of central place theory geographers

explain how initial settlements will expand in somedirections.


14/19

Cause-and-effect analysis

Exploration of cause-effect relationships

Answers the question how are phenomena

caused? Led to the adoption of mechanistic and

deterministic concepts

Can be adapted to new philosophical viewswithout being deterministic


15/19

Temporal or genetic modes of analysis

Particular circumstances may be explained by examining theorigin, and subsequent development of phenomena

Answers the question how did the phenomena originateand develop?

The operation of processlaws

Metaphysical assumptions regarding real world processesunderpin analysis

The nature of anything could only be comprehended interms of its development (genetic fallacy)

Provides a dimension of explanation that examinestemporal change and the nature of temporal processes


16/19

Functional and ecological analysis

Tries to analyse phenomena in terms of the role they play

within a particular organisation

Answers the question how do particular phenomenarelate to and interact with phenomena in general?

Towns are analysed in terms of the function they

perform within an economy, rivers in terms of their role

in denudation

Geography as the study of interrelationships within

areas has a distinctively functional-ecological ring to it


17/19

Systems analysis

Examines the structure of an organisation as a system of

interlocking parts and processes

Answers the question how are phenomena organised

as a coherent system?

Provides a framework for describing the whole

complex structure of activity

Good for multivariatesituations


18/19

Sources

Just read the notes. That is enough

OR plus

David Harvey 1969. Explanation in Geography


19/19

Trial Questions

Geographers have been very remote from the ferment of ideasby preserving the status quo, that is, bathing in an euphoria ofinertia. Discuss this statement in relation to the form ofexplanation provided by geographers (before 1960)

Discuss the following geographic explanatory forms showingthe type of questions they seek to answer Cognitive description,

Morphometric analysis,

Cause and effect analysis,

Temporal modes of explanation,

Functional and ecological analysis and Systems analysis.

Lecture 4b Explanation in Geography Sk

Documents