Let us start with a very basic yet important point: “What is science and what is knowledge?”Even among philosophers, there is no consensus about this. Different thinkers have interpreted science differently. Broadly, two major schools have emerged regarding this understanding: Today, our focus is on Positivism. What is Positivism? Positivism is not just a random…
Imagine you’re trying to understand why something exists at a particular place—for instance, why a city grew near a river, or why industries developed around Mumbai. That curiosity is the essence of locational analysis. Locational Analysis is a method in Human Geography that focuses on how and why various human phenomena (like population, industry, transport,…
Imagine you’re looking at a map—not just to locate places, but to understand the deeper patterns in how those places are arranged and how they affect human life. That, in essence, is Spatial Analysis. Spatial analysis refers to the quantitative techniques used to study location patterns—how and why different features like cities, industries, or resources…
To understand this, let’s start with a question: Why don’t we have universal laws in geography like we do in physics or chemistry? That’s the crux of Exceptionalism—a view that geography (and history) are fundamentally different from the so-called systematic sciences like physics or chemistry. This idea was first proposed by Immanuel Kant, the father…
In any subject, whether it’s physics, psychology, or geography, there exists a dominant way of thinking at a particular time—a framework that shapes how problems are identified, how research is done, and what kinds of answers are considered acceptable. This dominant intellectual framework is called a Paradigm. So, a paradigm is like the lens through…
(Regression, Correlation and Gravity Model) Correlation (Let’s build from basics.) 👉 First imagine:You notice that wherever rainfall is high, crop yield is also high.You start wondering — Is there a relationship? This “relationship” between two variables is studied using Correlation. 📖 Definition: Correlation is a statistical technique that measures the strength and direction of the…
Imagine geography before the 1950s like a detailed travel diary—descriptive, poetic, rich in imagery, but lacking in numbers. Then came a shift—a movement where geographers started using mathematics and statistics to understand patterns, relationships, and processes. This transformation is called the Quantitative Revolution (QR) in geography.It means: Applying statistical and mathematical techniques—like formulas, models, and…
– When Mind Shapes the Map “Environment doesn’t shape man; rather, man shapes the environment—through thoughts, values, skills, and culture.” This is the central belief of Cultural or Social Determinism, a school of thought that flips environmental determinism on its head. If determinism said: “Man is a puppet of nature”,Cultural determinism says: “Nature is a…
(– Geography Between Possibility and Probability) “Nature doesn’t compel. It suggests. And man? He tends to follow the likely path, not necessarily the only one.” This is the essence of Probabilism—a balanced, practical view of human-environment interaction introduced by O.H.K. Spate, who tried to reconcile the extremes of Determinism and Possibilism. 👤 O.H.K. Spate: The…
– The Philosophy of “Stop and Go” “Man proposes, Nature disposes… but sometimes with traffic signals 😊” That’s Neo-Determinism for you—a middle path between the rigidity of Environmental Determinism and the liberalism of Possibilism. Here, nature is not a tyrant, but neither is it a mute spectator. It’s a supervisor, letting humans act, but stepping…
