Science, Philosophy And Physical Geography

Science, Philosophy and Physical Geography 1 This accessible and engaging text explores the relationship between philosophy, science and physical geography. It addresses an imbalance that exists in opinion, teaching, and, to a lesser extent, research, between a philosophically enriched human geography and a perceived philosophically ignorant physical geography. Science, Philosophy and Physical Geography challenges the myth that there is a single self-evident scientific method that can and is applied in a straightforward manner by physical geographers. It demonstrates the variety of alternative philosophical perspectives. Furthermore, it emphazises the importance of the dialogue between the researcher and the real world for identifying and studying environmental phenomena. This includes a consideration of the dynamic relationship between human and physical geography. Finally, it demonstrates the relevance of philosophy for both an understanding of published material and for the design and implementation of studies in physical geography. Illustrations of concepts in each chapter are drawn from the diversity of topics in physical geography, such as fluvial geomorphology, landslides, weathering and species. Rob Inkpen is Senior Lecturer in Geography at the University of Portsmouth. 1 Science, Philosophy and Physical Geography Rob Inkpen First published 2005 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2004. "To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge's collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” © 2005 Rob Inkpen All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data A catalog record for this book has been requested ISBN 0-203-49848-8 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-203-57062-6 (Adobe eReader Format) ISBN 0–415–27953–4 (hbk) ISBN 0–415–27954–2 (pbk) Contents 1 Preface Acknowledgements Introduction vii xi 1 Structure of the book 3 Chapter 1 Ideas, change and stability in physical geography What are ideas and how do they change? 5 Is there a history of ideas in physical geography? 10 What are the important concepts in physical geography? 13 Summary 24 5 Chapter 2 The nature of reality What is reality? 25 Views of different philosophies 27 Case Study: Critical rationalism – an example from environmental reconstruction 31 Reality as a dialogue 35 Theory, reality and practice 36 Case Study: Myths and theories 38 Physical geography as historical science 41 Summary 43 25 Chapter 3 Entities and classification Introduction 45 What are entities? 46 Entities and kinds 47 Case Study: Species as natural kinds 51 Case Study: Magnitude and frequency – entities out of context 52 Classification 56 Case St