The Natural and Mutual Complementarity of Humanism and Positivism in Geography
Abstract
In the recent decade there has been emerging criticism regarding the suitability of the positivistic plilosophy to the
understandlng of human geographical phenomena. One line of criticism has advocated the adoption of an entirely different approach: an alternative humanistic philosophy. Debate between the approaches has contributed to the neglect of the possibility for a constructive reduction of the gap between them . In an effort to close this gap, the purpose of this article is to review the main ideas of the humanistic approach, the criticism raised against it, and to discuss the mutually potential relevance of the positivistic and of the humanistic approaches, emphasizing their mutual complementarity.
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