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| ON FORMATION OF YI-FU TUAN'S THOUGHTS ON HUMANISTIC GEOGRAPHY |
| LU Xiao-xuan |
| College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, Peking University, Beijing 100080, China |
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Abstract Known as the "father" of humanist geography, Yi-Fu Tuan uses geography to delve deep into the mind. He has carried the study of what used to be called "geosophy", a mixing of geography and philosophy to new heights. The words "humanistic geography" first appeared in Tuan's paper published in the Annals of the Association of American Geographers in 1976, entitled "Humanistic Geography". Against the groundswell in the field of geography in the 1960 s, which has a manifesto of the pre-eminence of "space", Tuan's work moved in an entirely different direction, focusing on people and their condition. To him, geography is about a set of moral questions:"who we are; how we should live in the world; how we should relate to the natural world and to ourselves; and what constitutes the good life." Though humanistic geography is not primarily an earth science, it is a branch of geography for the reason that it reflects upon the kinds of evidence that interest other branches of the geography discipline. It contributes to science by drawing attention to facts as yet beyond the scientific purview. To Tuan, "the meaning of existence" is the substantive core of human geography, as well as the reason he took up geography. During a long career, Yi- Fu Tuan broadened the study of places by leading geographers back to the human eyes, which see and interpret those places. His work serves society fundamentally by raising its level of consciousness. As he said, humanist geography differs from historical geography in emphasizing that "people create their own historical myths". The basic approach to the topics of humanistic geography is by way of human experience, awareness, and knowledge. By the same methodology, this paper review Tuan's life paths, showing how his personal experience together with the broader social context has helped to shape his theoretical thinking and make him a prominent figure in geography by pioneering human geography.
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Received: 12 December 2013
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2014, Vol. 29 
