A Dialogue Between a Land and a Man or a Short Essay on Geography

1. A Dialogue Between a Land and a Man or a Short Essay on Geography Zigmas Kairaitis One may call it a paradox that the oldest (fundamental) sciences, such as philosophy, mathematics and geography, are still in the process of finding out what they really are, i.e. their substance, identity, content. The most typical case is philosophy – to the present day, the majority of philosophical tracts and textbooks definitely contain a section or a topic “What is Philosophy?”. Mathematics has no integral definition as well – algebra and geometry just do not go together somehow... It may seem that the answer to what is what should have already been found throughout the long history of science. We can only rely on the wisdom that as long as you search for the answer to the question, who you really are, you can feel alive, and as soon as you find it – you will face stagnation, resignation or death.

2. Geography as a narration or towards the classics It is popular to relate the origin of science with particular dates and authors. In such deliberations, the usual question is when the name, term or definition of the respective science was used for the first time. Geography, for example, is associated with the name of Eratosthenes, who was the first one to use the definition of geography. It is clear, however, that geography has likely emerged when the person assumed a “third position ”and tried to understand, evaluate and express the things he/she sees around – objects, place(s), phenomena. Perhaps this was a field of warlocks, shamans. Today, we refer to the same objects as spaces, territories, regions, environments formalised by various instruments and sophisticated forms of expression. The core, however, remains the same: whether the plot of land is illustrated on a map, presented as a text or a verbal telling depends only on a different form of language expression. Throughout its history, geography tried to distance itself from geographical or just a simple telling of everything that can be seen, felt and conceived by a man who observes the environment. It is still believed to diminish a scholar character of geography. However, even the most abstract descriptions of the spaces of land brought no victories to geography and remained rather as individual paradigms and schools of theory. Since the world has become mobile in all senses, once being the Greatest Geographical Discoveries, narratives are now being replaced by smaller, individual and personal geographical discoveries (we do not even want to put them in quotation-marks), descriptions of travel impressions (travelogues). This geographical phenomenon is yet to be examined and evaluated.

3. A man as homo horizontus or towards a sense and perception of place Geographers or at least teacher are well aware that the most difficult way to “see” geography is to see it at a hand – in a view outside the window, in a yard, on a street, in other words, in the closest environment. There is no doubt that geography covers Africa, America, Oceania, all the unknown and unseen lands and countries. This refers to theestablished tradition of geography. When we start speaking about the spiritual, sensual as well as historical, cultural and religious objects, we sort of “apologise” to geography as if it was out of its scope. However, as it was demonstrated by the second half of the previous century, geographers and others became interested in the subjects of sense and perception of thegeographical environment This gave rise to the paradigms of geosophy (J . K. Wright) and topophilia (Yi-Fu Tuan). At this point, it is necessary to mention the definition of phylotopia created and interpreted from various points of view by philosopher Arvydas Šliogeris. The connection between the Western and Eastern geography-related philosophical ideas takes placein this field of thought. Besides, Professor Arvydas Šliogeris is also attributed with the most reasoned concept of the horizon as the location on this side of transcendence phenomenon. This could be indicated as the start of horizon geography bringing the geography closer or perhaps back to thepoint wheretheman and environment (place) get along together.

4. Geography as a space between or from objects towards relations The core of geography is more about the relations and interaction between us and creations of the environment rather than the observed images of various places, objects, phenomena what this science is mostly associated with. Geography is located in a space between. The objects of nature, environment, public phenomena and processes as objects of research have been “shared” between other sciences long time ago, i.e. geography, biology, meteorology, physics as well as economics, political sciences, cultural and religious studies. In this context, geography is closer to mathematics – it is more concerned about the forms, meanings, values that start from the relations and interaction of the objects of environment (us included), i.e. from the substantial space. This conjunction gives rise to a new matter and energy, just like gluons (having no mass) generate power that keeps the nucleus of the atom, the geography examines the conditions of the existence (being) of the world, place, territory unity. Thus, geography has entered the era of under-map (where the map is understood as a piece of paper). It becomes more and more obvious that geographical discoveries are made with a help of imagination – creation of images. The only difference is that while the previous aim was for the images (maps) to meet the reality, they have become reality nowadays. By making an allusion to Jean Baudrillard, the map appears before the territory or the maps of the maps are made. GIS (geographical information systems) as well as mental maps are greatly varying from the classical geographical maps. Their purpose is to frame an idea, visual, theoretical construct instead of a physical space. Thus, with regard to the question “what is geography” it may be defined as follows – geography is a field of knowledge, which examines the interaction and relations between the space-place and spacescape on Earth