Is there progress in human geography? The problem of progress in the light of recent work in the philosophy and sociology of science

Abstract

In this article I discuss the meaning of progress in geography and the social sciences in general in the light of recent debates in the philosophy and sociology of science. I review the way in which notions of progress derived from different philosophies of science have been used in geography in the past, before focusing on the kinds of constructivist challenges posed in recent work by authors such as Barnes. I criticize these approaches from a realist-constructivist perspective and argue for a deeper engagement with social epistemology.