The Subject of Geography and the Science of the Man-Nature Relationship

A philosopher views the geographical environment as a natural-social concept, in which individual elements function simultaneously in a system of natural and social relationships. The geographical environment should be the province of a discipline called general geography, which would exist in addition to specialized physical and social geography. However, since general geography is limited spatially to the earth's landscape sphere, it cannot deal with the broader aspects of the man-nature relationship now that man's influence extends increasingly beyond the earth into outer space. A new discipline called “noology” is proposed to deal with the interplay between human society and all of nature.     

On the Problems of Geography and the Tasks of Popularizing Geographical Knowledge

A Moscow University geographer who advocates a unity of geography uses the medium of the Znaniye [Knowledge] Society, an organization for the popularization of scientific knowledge and communist ideology, to review the basic problems confronting geography as a research discipline. He reviews the historical sequence of philosophic concepts relating to the man-environment system in an attempt to justify his approach to the system as one in which both natural and social laws operate. Anuchin stresses the need for pure theoretical research in geography and polemicizes with those who seek prompt practical results. He restates his definition of the geographical environment as that part of the earth's landscape sphere in which nature and society interact as two parts of a single whole governed by distinctive laws. The metachronous character of development of the landscape sphere, with several parts formed at various times, is cited as an example of such a universal law. Anuchin agrees with the authors of The Science of Geography, the 1965 report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Geography, Division of Earth Sciences of the National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council, that geography's overriding problem is to gain an understanding of the man-environment system and to develop tools for geographical prediction. An ability to predict the consequences of man's interference in natural processes is depicted as the principal contribution that geography can make to the pursuit of knowledge at the present stage of human development. If geography is unable to meet its responsibilities, the problem of geographical prediction may have to be taken over by other disciplines. Soviet biologists have already suggested the creation of a new science, geohygiene, to deal with the man-environment relationship.     

Atlas of the United States

In an attempt to distinguish between regional physical geography and the Soviet school of landscape science, the author defines the study objects of the two disciplines and provides a useful review of the present state of landscape science in the Soviet Union. Physical geography is said to be concerned with study of the entire geographical shell of the earth, ranging from the troposphere to the bottom of the layer of sedimentary rocks in the earth's crust. Landscape science focuses on the so-called landscape sphere, which is defined as the portion of the geographical shell that lies at or near the surface of the earth and is imbued with present-day life. Although some Soviet geographers treat the term “landscape” as a broad conceptual term (similar to climate), most investigators tend to give the term a classificatory or typological connotation, regarding landscape as the basic unit in a classification of natural geocomplexes. One landscape school focuses on the morphological structure of landscape, the other on model-building of the landscape mechanism.     

On the Significance of Lenin's Ideas for Soviet Geography

The president of the Geographical Society USSR reviews the present state of Soviet geographic theory in the light of Leninist philosophy. The objective existence of natural regions with definite boundaries is affirmed. The approach of “social physics,” applying natural laws to social phenomena, is rejected. The use of mathematical techniques is welcomed, but not to the extent of giving rise to a separate discipline of “theoretical geography” that would deal with whatever is common to both physical and economic geography. The geographical environment is defined as that part of the earth's natural environment in which nature and society are in direct interaction. Both geographical determinism and social determinism (geographical nihilism) are rejected. The definition of geography as a system of scientific disciplines is affirmed, and a proposed redefinition of geography as dealing with the evolution and control of dynamic spatial systems is rejected.     

A Few more Words about the Geographical Environment

In reply to Yu. G. Saushkin [Soviet Geography, February 1966], the author contends that even major man-induced changes in the natural landscape, such as the creation of oases in deserts, do not produce “radical” changes in the structure of the landscape by affecting “all” its components. Kalesnik also differentiates between the man-altered natural environment and the man-created artificial, technological environment.     

The Subject and Structure of Geosystems Theory

A logical model of the system of disciplines generally known as physical geography distinguishes three subjects of study, each associated with a particular level of organization of the basic study object, namely the earth's physical landscape envelope or landscape shell and its subsystems (individual landscapes or geocomplexes): (1) study of the componental level of organization would be the subject of the particular disciplines in physical geography (geomorphology, climatology, etc.); (2) study of the integrated level of organization would be the subject of landscape science, which is viewed as a synthesis of the particular disciplines; (3) study of the earth's natural environment at the level of the entire landscape envelope would be the subject of general physical geography or general earth science. The subject matter of the particular disciplines and of the synthesized landscape science is further broken down into research areas: regional research (concerned with geographical spaces); typological research (quasi-geographical spaces) and general research (nongeographical).     

江苏省地理景观与美丽乡村建构研究

乡村审美空间蕴含着内在和深刻的人地关系理念内容,比经济效应有更深的自然情怀,是可持续发展的思想感情基础,也是现代景观规划的重要研究课题。城市化发展过程中自然地理脉络破坏对于乡村景观是致命的。探讨以多尺度层面的地理景观建构乡村审美空间:在区域大尺度范围内设计地理视域观赏空间;在镇域中尺度范围内将生态文明和社会经济发展要求安排在景观空间格局配置中;在乡村小尺度范围内造就素雅含蓄的村落景观。江苏省乡村具有四千年的历史,留下珍贵的人地关系文化遗产和审美烙印。从地理景观形态结构、格局演化进程与机理响应对照乡村审美空间景观,建构和谐安宁的画面境界;最终造就广阔地域的"美丽乡村"。     

从南京城市地理格局研究古都风貌规划

历史时期自然地理格局对于南京古都景观形成有至关重要作用。目前我国的古都风貌保护规划往往是从建筑学角度出发,而缺少对产生历史城市的自然环境变迁分析,以及相应的从地理研究角度的古都风貌保护规划。探查地理系统中的历史城市起源和发展的山水脉络,这对研究城市持续发展与特色继承有重要作用。现代南京城市发展支离破碎地分解了历史上的连绵山峦整体,河流水系网络已经断断续续。顺延山峦与河流脉络调查分析古都遗址是本文研究思路。本篇探讨以地理景观分析并规划形成南京古都风貌保护的地理格局网络:以连绵丘岗山系、河流城濠为骨干,保持山体轮廓的连续性,河流水网的完整性;以自然山水地形为纽带贯通各自相对独立的历史遗迹;以明朝城垣、历史街区为网络,以及分散在各地的重点建筑保护范围,构成完整的古都风貌保护的格局。     

Some Thoughts on the Subject of Historical Geography

A geographical historical geography, concerned with the history of development of the landscape, is distinguished from the historian's historical geography, dealing with the geography of countries and regions in the past and the history of development of cities and transport routes. The aim of the geographer's approach to historical geography is to characterize changes in the natural environment during historical times, to map landscapes from the point of view of their evolution and to classify and regionalize them on the basis of genetic principles. For this purpose, historical geography is to be distinguished from paleogeography, which should be limited to evolution of the landscape in prehistoric times.     

On Interrelationships Between Natural and Social Laws

The author takes issue with those geographers who argue that a unified geography is ruled out by the fact that natural laws and social laws cannot be blended and there are no general laws operating in the geographical environment. He seeks to demonstrate in philosophical terms that laws of nature operate in society by speeding or slowing the rate of social development and that, on the other hand, social laws affect the end result of the operation of natural laws.     

基于人地关系的书法地理学研究

已有的书法地理研究局限于书法现象的地域分异。本文讨论了书法景观的概念、特征及类型,指出书法地理研究应该包括书法作为具有区域分异特征的人文景观元素的研究、书法作为人地关系中景观组成元素的研究以及书法审美作为人地关系的影响物的研究,并进行了详细阐述。书法地理学未来需要通过多学科方法引入进行研究,书法地理学对于旅游、城市规划等多个方面有着潜在应用价值。     

基于地理学视角的中国山水画分析

本文从美术地理学的角度出发阐述了中国山水画的地域差别,指出地理环境对山水画的影响主要表现在几方面:即对山水画作品面貌的影响,对山水画家创作灵感的影响,对作品风格和地域特色的影响,对山水画派和地域人才形成的影响。因而,地理环境是艺术家创作的对象和源泉,也是决定美术风格的关键因素,对山水画派和地域人才的形成具有重要影响。     

GEOGRAPHICAL SYSTEMS AND ECONOMIC-GEOGRAPHICAL SYSTEMS

A group of physical geographers of the Institute of Geography in Moscow, the principal academic research institution in geography, published an article in 1974 seeking to define and categorize terms and concepts now being used in Soviet geography. The article said the term geosystem (geographical system) applied equally to physical-geographical and socio-economic entities, and the term “geographical environment”, in actual research practice, referred not only to the physical setting of human activities, but also to engineering elements and social conditions. The present writer contends that such a definition of the geographical environment, incorporating both natural and social elements, smacks of a unified geography, and that geosystems, as originally defined, refer only to natural terrestrial systems, excluding man.     

The Concept of Landscape and Landscapes of Different Orders

The paper is an expanded version of a Lomonosov lecture given April 12, 1956, in the Earth Science Museum of Moscow University. Yefremov criticizes the confusion derived from the dual meaning of “landscape” as used by Soviet geographers: (1) landscape as an areal unit of varying taxonomic rank constituting a complex of all components that interact within the earth's surficial sphere (or landscape sphere), and (2) landscape as an indivisible basic areal unit, or “molecule,” or “cell” of physical geography. Yefremov defends the first and assails the second point of view.     

中国文学的地理分析

本文从文学地理的角度阐明了中国文学的地区差异与地域特色,分析了文学与地理之间的多层次关系及环境作用机理,并对文学与地理结合的"环境文学"发展前景进行了展望。指出,中国文学在地理分布上有着南北之分、东西之异、地域之别。地理环境对中国文学及其地域差异的影响主要表现在三个方面:即对文学作品创作内容和作者创作灵感的诱发的影响,对文学作品风格与地域特色差异的影响,对文学流派及其地域文学人才的形成以及文学中心分布的影响。认为,地理环境作为生活条件塑造着作家的文化心理素质与审美情趣,间接影响文学作品风格是环境影响文学的主要机理。文学艺术与地理、环境、生态等科学结合,是21世纪文学发展的一种趋向。     

Man-Induced Differentiation of Natural Conditions as a Factor in Physical-Geographic Regionalization

The author analyzes the significance of man-induced changes in the natural environment at various levels of the hierarchy of physical-geographic regionalization, and proposes a classification of man-altered landscapes that can be applied to existing systems of physical-geographic regions.     

INTERACTION BETWEEN PHYSICAL AND ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY

The chairmen of the departments of physical geography and economic geography of the USSR at Moscow University call for greater interplay between the two major subfields of geography, particularly in the context of geographical research for regional planning and geographical prediction generally. The demands of a modern economy require a more integrated approach to the study of spatial systems encompassing the totality of the natural environment, settlement, production and living conditions. Such close interaction between physical and economic geography needs to be pursued at all levels of geography as a discipline, from international geographical congresses down to ordinary student field practice.     

我国体育文化空间差异及其区划研究

以地理视角观察体育文化,对我国体育文化与地理环境的关系进行探讨。从不同区域的气候条件、地势和地形条件、水域条件等自然地理环境因素和人体体格、文化背景与民族传统、区域经济发展水平等人文地理环境因素的差异上探讨了体育文化与地理环境的关系。采用层次聚类分析中的Q型聚类方法,构建指标体系,将我国体育文化区划成3个一级区,8个二级区。最后对各体育文化区分别进行评述。     

Scientific-Technical Progress and Geography

The director of the Institute of Geography (Moscow) reviews a session of the Academy of Sciences USSR devoted to problems of technical progress and finds that geography as a research discipline is not mentioned once by the speakers. The author recalls his past proposals designed to transform traditional geography into a discipline concerned with constructive geographical engineering, or a constructive geography. He finds that in the light of current priorities, geography must be made even more relevant to the present-day needs of society. He outlines five problem areas that should become the main concern of the discipline: (1) economic evaluation of resources, (2) study of natural hazards, (3) the fight against environmental pollution, (4) locational patterns of production that will reduce or eliminate the effects of pollution, and (5) conservation of the environment for recreational and research purposes.     

犯罪地理学的理论研究

目前,国内外学术界还没有建立起真正意义上的犯罪地理学,因此,犯罪地理学的理论研究就显得特别重要。为此,本文系统地探讨了犯罪地理学的理论体系,认为犯罪地理学的理论体系含有:①地理环境决定论;②环境论(月相说、星相说、地域说、犯罪地形说、折衷主义学派环境论);③犯罪时日论;④芝加哥学派的犯罪同心圆论;⑤犯罪区位论。通过犯罪地理学理论体系的研究,希望有益于犯罪地理学的创建和发展。