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Science, philosophy and physical geography /
This accessible and engaging text explores the relationship between philosophy, science and physical geography. It addresses an imbalance that exists in opinion, teaching and to a lesser extent research, between a philosophically enriched human geography and a perceived philosophically empty physica...
| Clasificación: | Libro Electrónico |
|---|---|
| Autor principal: | |
| Formato: | Electrónico eBook |
| Idioma: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
New York :
Routledge,
2013.
|
| Edición: | 2nd ed. |
| Temas: | |
| Acceso en línea: | Texto completo |
Tabla de Contenidos:
- Cover; Half Title; Title Page; Copyright Page; Table of Contents; List of figures and tables; Preface to the first edition; Preface to the second edition; Acknowledgements; Introduction; Structure of the book; Chapter 1. Ideas, change and stability in physical geography; What are ideas and how do they change?; Johannes Umbgrove and plate tectonics; Is there a history of ideas in physical geography?; What are the important concepts in physical geography?; Chaos, complexity and Earth Systems Science (ESS); Summary; Chapter 2. The nature of reality; What is reality?
- Views of different philosophiesCase Study: Critical rationalism: an example from environmental reconstruction; Reality as a dialogue; Theory, reality and practice; Case Study: Myths and theories; Physical geography as historical science; Summary; Chapter 3. Entities and classification; Introduction; What are entities?; Entities and kinds; Case Study: Species as natural kinds; Case Study: Magnitude and frequency
- entities out of context; Classification; Case Study: The EU Water Framework Directive and the classification of surface water status; Case Study: Classification of soils.
- Events
- mega entities?Summary; Chapter 4. Forms of explanation; Explanation in physical geography; What is explanation?; Causality; Case Study: Necessary and sufficient conditions; Explanatory frameworks; Case Study: Abduction as a form of explanation in environmental reconstruction; Case Study: Linking theory and practice; The problems of causation; Summary; Chapter 5. Probing reality; Probing and the dialogue with reality; Measurement systems; Case Study: Triangulation of techniques
- measurement of surface form on rocks; Practice in physical geography.
- Case Study: Linking process and form
- intensive study of bedformsCase Study: Probing reality
- fluvial flow structure; Case Study: Multiple working hypotheses; Summary; Chapter 6. The field; What is 'field science'?; The philosophies of fieldwork; Case Study: Local underdeterminism and the Younger Dryas event; 'Simplifying the field'
- laboratory and experimental research; Monitoring the field; Fieldwork as a reflective and imaginative practice; Summary; Chapter 7. Systems
- the framework for physical geography?; Systems analysis in physical geography; Application of systems thinking.
- Systems and changeCase Study: Systems and landscape sensitivity; Summary; Chapter 8. Change and complexity; Equilibrium
- an ex-concept?; Chaos and complexity
- more of the same?; Case study: Chaos theory and ecological systems; Emergence and hierarchies
- scale revisited?; Case Study: Scale and (dis)connectivity; Case Complexity and change
- landscape evolution and organization; Summary; Chapter 9. Modelling; Conceptual approaches to modelling; Types of models; Conceptual models; Analogue models; Deterministic models; Empirical- statistical models.