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The Three-Body Problem and Geographic Thought
Abstract:
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.02in">Constructing a trilogy of major ideas has been an important aspect of some scholars contributions related to geographic research and/or thought. Selected works from the careers of Anne Buttimer and Bob Kates are used to document the importance of geographers thinking in threes. The history of geographic thought documents that scholars have generally identified three (or more) major components within the discipline. Geographers at the National Science Foundation also have used three different names and related emphases for their group during this century.</p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.02in">In physics and classical mechanics, the three-body problem involves the uncertainties that arise from the interactions among three bodies. With two bodies of known mass and movement, subsequent positions are easily computed. When a third body is added to the situation under consideration, the subsequent outcomes are intractable, complicated, and non-linear. Chaotic outcomes are a possibility. The three-body problem is a global concern given that at least three major powers have nuclear weapons.</p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.02in">Applying lessons from the three-body problem to geographic thought suggests challenges in discussing the character of the academic discipline. And, geographers have a history of sharing their multiple bodies of knowledge with potentially interested outsiders. Ideas related to the chaotic impacts of the three-body problem on sharing the scope of geography are presented, with a discussion of issues related to synthesis, the highest form of the geographer’s art, and pluralism.</p>
Keywords: geographic thought, three-body problem, chaos, pluralism
Authors:
John Harrington, Jr., Independent Scholar; Submitting Author / Primary Presenter
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The Three-Body Problem and Geographic Thought
Category
In-Person Paper Abstract