The nature of understanding in physical geography has changed over time. When investigating this change it becomes apparent that certain universal ideas or forces had very important ramifications to the academic study of physical geography. During the period from 1850 to 1950, there seems to be four main ideas that had a strong influence on the discipline:
(1). Uniformitarianism - this theory rejected the idea that catastrophic forces were responsible for the current conditions on the Earth. It suggested instead that continuing uniformity of existing processes were responsible for the present and past conditions of this planet.
(2). Evolution - Charles Darwin's Origin of Species (1859) suggested that natural selection determined which individuals would pass on their genetic traits to future generations. As a result of this theory, evolutionary explanations for a variety of natural phenomena were postulated by scientists. The theories of uniformitarianism and evolution arose from a fundamental change in the way humans explained the universe and nature.
During the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries scholars began refuting belief or myth based explanations of the cosmos, and instead used science to help explain the mysteries of nature. Belief based explanations of the cosmos are made consistent with a larger framework of knowledge that focuses on some myth. However, theories based on science questioned the accuracy of these beliefs.
(3). Exploration and Survey - much of the world had not been explored before 1900. Thus, during this period all of the fields of physical geography were actively involved with basic data collection. This data collection included activities like determining the elevation of land surfaces, classification and description of landforms, the measurement of the volume of flow of rivers, measurement of various phenomena associated to weather and climate, and the classification of soils, organisms, biological communities and ecosystems.
(4). Conservation - beginning in the 1850s a concern for the environment began to develop as a result of the human development of once natural areas in the United States and Europe. One of the earliest statements of these ideas came from George Perkins Marsh (1864) in his book "Man in Nature" or "Physical Geography as Modified by Human Action". This book is often cited by scholars as the first significant academic contribution to conservation and environmentalism.
After 1950, the following two forces largely determined the nature of physical geography:
(1). The Quantitative Revolution - measurement became the central focus of research in Physical Geography. It was used primarily for hypothesis testing. With measurement came mapping, models, statistics, mathematics, and hypothesis testing. The quantitative revolution was also associated with a change in the way in which physical geographers studied the Earth and its phenomena. Researchers now began investigating process rather than mere description of the environment.
(1). Uniformitarianism - this theory rejected the idea that catastrophic forces were responsible for the current conditions on the Earth. It suggested instead that continuing uniformity of existing processes were responsible for the present and past conditions of this planet.
(2). Evolution - Charles Darwin's Origin of Species (1859) suggested that natural selection determined which individuals would pass on their genetic traits to future generations. As a result of this theory, evolutionary explanations for a variety of natural phenomena were postulated by scientists. The theories of uniformitarianism and evolution arose from a fundamental change in the way humans explained the universe and nature.
During the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries scholars began refuting belief or myth based explanations of the cosmos, and instead used science to help explain the mysteries of nature. Belief based explanations of the cosmos are made consistent with a larger framework of knowledge that focuses on some myth. However, theories based on science questioned the accuracy of these beliefs.
(3). Exploration and Survey - much of the world had not been explored before 1900. Thus, during this period all of the fields of physical geography were actively involved with basic data collection. This data collection included activities like determining the elevation of land surfaces, classification and description of landforms, the measurement of the volume of flow of rivers, measurement of various phenomena associated to weather and climate, and the classification of soils, organisms, biological communities and ecosystems.
(4). Conservation - beginning in the 1850s a concern for the environment began to develop as a result of the human development of once natural areas in the United States and Europe. One of the earliest statements of these ideas came from George Perkins Marsh (1864) in his book "Man in Nature" or "Physical Geography as Modified by Human Action". This book is often cited by scholars as the first significant academic contribution to conservation and environmentalism.
After 1950, the following two forces largely determined the nature of physical geography:
(1). The Quantitative Revolution - measurement became the central focus of research in Physical Geography. It was used primarily for hypothesis testing. With measurement came mapping, models, statistics, mathematics, and hypothesis testing. The quantitative revolution was also associated with a change in the way in which physical geographers studied the Earth and its phenomena. Researchers now began investigating process rather than mere description of the environment.
(2). The study of Human/Land Relationships - the influence of human activity on the environment was becoming very apparent after 1950. As a result, many researchers in physical geography began studying the influence of humans on the environment. Some of the dominant themes in these studies included: environmental degradation and resource use; natural hazards and impact assessment; and the effect of urbanization and land-use change on natural environments.
CITATION
Pidwirny, M. (2006). "History of Physical Geography". Fundamentals of Physical Geography, 2nd Edition. 29/11/2011. http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/1e.html