THE SPATIAL VIEW IN CONTEXT.

The current U.S. emphasis on geography as spatial organization has evolved over the last fifty years from an early emphasis on man-land relations followed by an emphasis on area1 differentiation. The spatial view has shown both strengths and weaknesses during the sixties. It has led to more cumulative generalizations and increased cooperations with other social sciences, but has also been felt by some to have been associated with an overemphasis on sterile geometries and an apparent neglect of pressing social questions. For the seventies it is hoped that geographic research can maintain a reasonable balance between activism and scientism by stressing those emerging generalizations which promise to have the greatest ultimate impact, upon society. The spatial view should be more closely articulated to a revitalized man-land view and to the complementary but relatively neglected area study view [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]