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A bridge over troubled waters? Systems theory and dialogue in geography
Author(s) -
Egner Heike,
Von Elverfeldt Kirsten
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
area
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.958
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1475-4762
pISSN - 0004-0894
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-4762.2008.00874.x
Subject(s) - bridge (graph theory) , epistemology , human geography , sociology , time geography , order (exchange) , systems theory , social system , complex system , physical system , social science , economic geography , historical geography , geography , computer science , development geography , economics , philosophy , artificial intelligence , medicine , physics , finance , quantum mechanics
In physical geography, systems are seen as a unity of parts and relationships, whereas human geographers using a second‐order sociological systems approach define systems in terms of the difference between system and environment. Starting from this, dialogue between physical and human geographers using terms derived from systems theory is mostly in vain. This article explores some of the consequences that follow for dialogue in geography: the differences in defining systems, in the understanding of processes, the problem of system borders, the inconsistent understanding of the ‘environment’ itself as well as the different epistemology that comes with it (or leads to it). The article tries to bring systems theory back into geography with the decisive aim of enhancing the potentials for interaction between human and physical geographers and, therefore, to explore the possibility of connecting the social with the physical world – deviating from systems theory.