A Dialogue Between a Land and a Man

1. A Dialogue Between a Land and a Man
or
a Short Essay on Geography
Zigmas Kairaitis
One may call it a paradox that the oldest (fundamental) sciences, such as
philosophy, mathematics and geography, are still in the process of finding out
what they really are, i.e. their substance, identity, content.
The most typical case is philosophy – to the present day, the majority of
philosophical tracts and textbooks definitely contain a section or a topic
“What is Philosophy?”. Mathematics has no integral definition as well –
algebra and geometry just do not go together somehow... It may seem that the
answer to what is what should have already been found throughout the long
history of science.
We can only rely on the wisdom that as long as you search for the answer to
the question, who you really are, you can feel alive, and as soon as you find it
– you will face stagnation, resignation or death.

2. Geography as a narration or towards the classics
It is popular to relate the origin of science with particular dates and authors. In such
deliberations, the usual question is when the name, term or definition of the
respective science was used for the first time. Geography, for example, is associated
with the name of Eratosthenes, who was the first one to use the definition of
geography. It is clear, however, that geography has likely emerged when the person
assumed a “third position ”and tried to understand, evaluate and express the things
he/she sees around – objects, place(s), phenomena. Perhaps this was a field of
warlocks, shamans.
Today, we refer to the same objects as spaces, territories, regions, environments
formalised by various instruments and sophisticated forms of expression. The core,
however, remains the same: whether the plot of land is illustrated on a map,
presented as a text or a verbal telling depends only on a different form of language
expression.
Throughout its history, geography tried to distance itself from geographical or just a
simple telling of everything that can be seen, felt and conceived by a man who
observes the environment. It is still believed to diminish a scholar character of
geography. However, even the most abstract descriptions of the spaces of land
brought no victories to geography and remained rather as individual paradigms and
schools of theory.
Since the world has become mobile in all senses, once being the Greatest
Geographical Discoveries, narratives are now being replaced by smaller, individual
and personal geographical discoveries (we do not even want to put them in
quotation-marks), descriptions of travel impressions (travelogues). This geographical
phenomenon is yet to be examined and evaluated.

3. Geographers or at least teacher are well aware that the most difficult way to “see”
geography is to see it at a hand – in a view outside the window, in a yard, on a street,
in other words, in the closest environment. There is no doubt that geography covers
Africa, America, Oceania, all the unknown and unseen lands and countries. This
refers to the established tradition of geography.
When we start speaking about the spiritual, sensual as well as historical, cultural and
religious objects, we sort of “apologise” to geography as if it was out of its scope.
However, as it was demonstrated by the second half of the previous century,
geographers and others became interested in the subjects of sense and perception of
the geographical environment
This gave rise to the paradigms of geosophy (J. K. Wright) and topophilia (Yi-Fu
Tuan). At this point, it is necessary to mention the definition of phylotopia created
and interpreted from various points of view by philosopher Arvydas Šliogeris. The
connection between the Western and Eastern geography-related philosophical ideas
takes place in this field of thought.
Besides, Professor Arvydas Šliogeris is also attributed with the most reasoned concept
of the horizon as the location on this side of transcendence phenomenon. This could
be indicated as the start of horizon geography bringing the geography closer or
perhaps back to the point where the man and environment (place) get along together.
A man as homo horizontus
or
towards a sense and perception of place

4. Geography as a space between or from objects towards relations
The core of geography is more about the relations and interaction between us and creations of
the environment rather than the observed images of various places, objects, phenomena what
this science is mostly associated with. Geography is located in a space between.
The objects of nature, environment, public phenomena and processes as objects of research
have been “shared” between other sciences long time ago, i.e. geography, biology,
meteorology, physics as well as economics, political sciences, cultural and religious studies. In
this context, geography is closer to mathematics – it is more concerned about the forms,
meanings, values that start from the relations and interaction of the objects of environment (us
included), i.e. from the substantial space.
This conjunction gives rise to a new matter and energy, just like gluons (having no mass)
generate power that keeps the nucleus of the atom, the geography examines the conditions of
the existence (being) of the world, place, territory unity.
Thus, geography has entered the era of under-map (where the map is understood as a piece of
paper). It becomes more and more obvious that geographical discoveries are made with a help
of imagination – creation of images. The only difference is that while the previous aim was for
the images (maps) to meet the reality, they have become reality nowadays.
By making an allusion to Jean Baudrillard, the map appears before the territory or the maps of
the maps are made. GIS (geographical information systems) as well as mental maps are greatly
varying from the classical geographical maps. Their purpose is to frame an idea, visual,
theoretical construct instead of a physical space.
Thus, with regard to the question “what is geography” it may be defined as follows –
geography is a field of knowledge, which examines the interaction and relations between the
space-place and spacescape on Earth