Geography as a Science

Abstract

Science the middle of the seventeeth century, Varenius and other geographers have been engaged in researching for the scientific character of geography. Its essential points are as follows. I Does geography belong to a science or not? 1. commonsense or an organized knowledge 2. what kind of learning 3. its level with scientific knowledge 4. its object and method II Is geography an independent science? 5. its nature and quality 6. what kind of science 7. its position among sciences 8. its alloted work and collaboration To these questions in the above several answers have been given, but they are rarely solutions satisfactory to us. Especially doultful are their concepts of the earth surface or the world and their methods of approch to it. Human beings have been surrounded by the same time its whole surface is now occupied by them. Accordingly it should be studied not only from the standpoint of the third party, but also from that of the parties concerned. Strange as it may sound, recent studies require a synthesis of subjectivity as ancient geographers did. And in the same sense a synthetic method is to be applied to the unification of chorological and global view. We are much obliged to our former researchers for their endeavor in establishing geography as a modern science. Their work is really great, however, in the light of geography as an ancient science we are going to put it forward to a new age science. © 1955, The Human Geographical Society of Japan. All rights reserved.