Geographical Sciences Versus Geography: How and Why?
The National Research Council report, Understanding the Changing Planet: Strategic Directions for the Geographi- cal Sciences, is thought-provoking, particularly for professional geographers who must position their discipline and themselves with respect to a potentially new, transdisciplinary field, referred to in the report as geographical sciences. This commentary discusses in some detail (1) implied distinctions between geographical sciences and geography, (2) the implications of framing societal and scientific questions driving geographical sciences in “how to” terms, and (3) the need to draw on the experiences of other disciplines to confront current and potential obstacles for geographical sciences.