Geographic objects and the science of geography

Abstract

Human geography studies places-considered not just as spatiotemporal locations, but as places of human significance, such as nations, electoral districts, and parks. Such entities are generally thought of as depending on the beliefs and practices of the peoples who live there. The mind-dependence of such entities, however, leads some to doubt whether we can really make discoveries in human geography, and even whether the entities studied in human geography are real parts of our world. This paper examines the ways in which geographic entities may rightly be said to be mind-dependent, and what consequences this mind-dependence does and does not have regarding whether human geography may be a potential source of knowledge and discovery, and regarding whether we should accept that geographic entities exist.