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Abstract
Abstract. There is nothing new in the observation that differing (and sometimes conflicting) currents coexist in geography as it is practiced today. The same situation is found in other sciences. Nonetheless, contributions that view this problem from the fundamental perspective of the philosophy of science are scarce. Yet, precisely this perspective signals the way to enlightenment from the dilemma. Central to this article is a basic philosophical concept: the image of man. The point at issue is that social sciences such as geography have shown too little concern for the content of their “cognitive objects.” This is distressing because the view of man influences the research process in all its parts. Using the image of man as a spotlight, this article illuminates the geographic mainstreams of the moment. At the same time, the image of man serves as a first stepping stone on the path to a renewed flow of ideas between those currents. In addition to these aims, the major goal of this article is to sharpen our insight into the approaches common to geography, thereby providing a better basis on which to choose among them.