2001 Articles

Introduction: Philosophical Issues in Geography

Varzi, Achille C.

Geography presents interesting and intricate trade-offs between empirical data and demands, on the one hand, and deep philosophical issues (from ontology to political philosophy), on the other. What is a geographic entity? What is the relationship between a geographic entity and a physical territory? Can a geographic entity survive without a territory or without definite borders? Can it survive radical changes in its territory? Are there clear-cut identity criteria for geographic categories? This paper serves as an introduction to a special issue of Topoi whose aim is to go a first step towards a better understanding of these questions and of their implications for the theory of the geographic world.