Hic sunt leones: Why geographers fear sophisticated methods and how it cripples attempts at providing policy relevant research?
Abstrakt
The paper focuses on the issue of methodology, which has been to some extent neglected in recent geographical thought. It is argued that attitudes toward methodology and methods differ significantly within the social sciences.
The paper offers preliminary comparative analysis of political science, economy and geography which clearly shows geographical neglect of methodological questions in research and education. It is argued that this situation is highly problematic, because methodological tools for causal inference have double significance.
Firstly, they enable to create and test theories and thus to accumulate knowledge. Secondly, political arguments are based on causal logic quite often.
Therefore, without tools for engagement with this kind of arguments geography faces high obstacles in its disciplinary goal - to become social engaged and namely socially useful science.