ABSTRACT
Regionalgeography,inallofitsvariousguises,formedthebasisfor mostgeographicalteachingandresearchintheperiodbetweenthe declineofenvironmentaldeterminismandthelate1940s.However,by the1950sgrowingdisquietwithinthedisciplinewithgeography'slow reputationasasciencepromptedaseriesofsubstantialcritiquesofthe regionalconcept.Thesefocusedprimarilyonthebalancebetween regionalandsystematicstudies,onwhetherornotgeographywas concernedwithuniquenessorgenerality,andwiththedifferences betweendescriptionandexplanation.Outofthesedebatesthere emergedanewandrevitalizeddiscipline,whichfounditsunityina particulartypeofmethodologyratherthanwithaspecifickindof subjectmatter.Theso-called'quantitativerevolution'thussoughtto replacethetraditionaldescriptionofregionalgeographywithanexplanatoryprocess-orientedsciencebasedonthetestingoftheoriesandthe constructionoflaws.Theadoptionofmanyofthetenetsoflogical positivisminthisprocesswas,however,largelyanunconsciousprocess.Itwasthevisionofcreatinggeographyasarealsciencethatdrove itspractitionersforward;thatthissciencewasbuiltuponthefoundationsoflogicalpositivismwasscarcelyrecognized.
