Student's Introduction to Geographical Thought

This ism-busting text is an enormously accessible account of the key philosophical ideas that have informed geographical research. It makes abstract theory explicit and clearly connects it with real practices of geographical research and knowledge. Written with flair and passion, A Student's Introduction to Geographical Thought will: - Explain the key ideas: scientific realism, anti-realism and idealism / positivism / critical rationalism / critical realism and structuralism / social constructivism / pragmatism / phenomenology and existentialism / postmodernism and post-structuralism / complexity / moral philosophy - Use examples that address both physical geography and human geography, making the ideas accessible to students of both - Use a familiar and real-world example - 'the beach' - as an entry point to basic questions of philosophy, returning to this to illustrate and to explain the links between philosophy, theory, and methodology. All chapters end with summaries and sources of further reading, a glossary explaining key terms, exercises with commentaries, and web resources of key articles from Progress in Human Geography and Progress in Physical Geography.
A Student's Introduction to Geographical Thought: Theories, Philosophies, Methodologies is a completely accessible student A-Z of theory and practice for both human and physical geography.