Study Material For B A III Geography Hons
Study Material For B. A. III: Geography ( Hons. ) Paper: V Geographical Thought and Three Southern Continents Unit-2 Physical Versus Human Geography Prepared by: Dr. Vinita Prasad Asst. Professor Department of Geography A. N. College (PPU), Patna
Introduction The study of the earth is going on since time immemorial. This study includes analysis of both physical and human attributes. The physical attributes of the similarly the human earth are influenced by human attribute and aspects are equally influenced physical aspects. Initially geography was the study of earth as whole and incorporated both physical and human aspects. At time Geography was intact and there were no branching of the subject. The Greeks were the first to initiate branching of the discipline into physical and human Geography.
The geographers are of the opinion that geography need to be divided into two branches; physical geography and human geography. It is because physical geography deals with natural attribute, such as meteorology, climatology, geology, physiography, landforms, hydrology, oceanography etc. On the other hand, human geography studied about population, settlements, urban attributes, agriculture, industries, modes of transportation and communication, culture and society, political attributes, environment etc.
It is clear that physical geography is concerned with natural phenomenon Whereas human geography is concerned with socio-cultural phenomenon. The study of natural phenomenon requires scientific precision and applies methods of natural sciences to draw universal conclusions. However the methods of natural science cannot be applied to study various human attributes.
It is because there cannot be universal conclusions regarding human characteristics as they vary in time and space and the conclusions are based on probability rather than certainty. Hence it is justified to have separate branches of physical dualism of physical versus characteristic of the discipline. and human geography. However human geography is still a
Development of Physical Geography The Greeks were first to acknowledged this dichotomy. The Greek geographers; Hecataeus gave physical geography, while Herodotus emphasized the human aspect. more weight to and Strabo In the seventeen century, German geographer Verenius, book ‘Geographia Generalis’ was published in 1650. In his book, Verenius, suggested the essential differences in characteristics of physical and human geography. the
In early 18 th century, Immanuel Kant, a French philosopher, delivered a lectures on physical geography at the Universityof Konigsburg (Germany) about the deflection of wind direction resulting from earth’s rotation. Humboldt, the great German Geographer was also primarily interested in the physical geography, and Carl Ritter, Humboldt’s contemporary, was inclined towards human geography.
Reclus laid emphasis on systematic physical geography. Darwin too appreciated physical aspect in his concepts of struggle and survival. Mare Somerville published Physical Geography in 1848. Albrecht Penck, the German geographer established promoted the study of geomorphology. Later on Koppen, Davis, Martonne, Mill, Jafferson and Dokuchaive, Ratzel and Semple put emphasis geography. on physical
Huntington, Mackinder, Chisholm and Herbertson also recognized physical geography as the main field of geographers. Thomas Physiography in 1877. Henery Huxley wrote The Soviet scientists also stressed on physical geography.
Development of Human Geography The real dichotomy of physical versus human geography cannot be understood unless some light is thrown on the historical development of human geography. Ritter and Ratzel were among the first who considered man as an agent who brings change in the landscape. Febvre placed emphasis on the fact that human beings are an element of the ‘landscape’ and are capable of modify their environment.
Vidal De La Blache the founded the school of human geography, gave relatively less importance to the elements of physical environment as the major determinants of cultural landscape of a region. He was against the opposition between natural surrounding and the social milieu and said that it is inreasonable to draw boundaries between natural and cultural phenomena. Jean Brunhes geography. and Albert Demangeon too supported human
In America, Mark Jafferson brought the idea of ‘central places’, ‘the primate city’ and ‘the civilizing rails’ in the field of human and urban geography. In the Soviet Union, D. N. Anuchin followed the principle of ‘economic determinism’. The basic philosophy of the followers of human geography was to establish a man-nature mutual relationship.
Physical Versus Human Geography: The Dichotomy All geographical studies are aimed at developing an understanding of the earth surface which and its incorporates both physical and social phenomena. The methodology adopted to promote such an understanding may differs from field to field but have the same destination. In fact the dichotomy between physical and human geography is artificial and illogical. In brief, geography does not fall into two groups, i. e. , physical and human; these two are just the two extremes of a continuum.
Hartshorne argues that if we divide geography into physical and human phenomena, we make the rest of the work illogical. For geography, to have any value, the rift between physical and human phenomena must disappear. Physical and human geography are in fact two sides of the same coin and are intricately interconnected and one can no be explained without the other.
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