Is geography a divided science? A reflection from the epistemic and methodological debates of science

Rosales-Veítia J. · Revista Geografica Venezolana (2022)

Resumen

From our first encounter with Geography in high school, we perceived a particular situation. Teachers taught that Geography was a science divided into Physical Geography (studies physical phenomena and the natural dynamics of planet Earth), and Human Geography (in charge of studying the social dynamics of space). This division has led to complex philosophical, epistemological, and methodological debates. What is Geography? What does it study? Is it a divided science? Therefore, the objective of these reflections was whether such a division exists or not. Some epistemic and methodological debates that separate the branches of this science were reviewed, using dialectics as a methodology to try to find some answers on the subject. It is con-cluded that Geography has a clear object of study, regardless of the perspective from which it is analyzed and, in the modern practice of geographic study, experiences show that the conciliation between its specialized branches is not utopian.