人文地理学导论

Human geography aims to understand the intricate relationships and interactions between people and their immediate surroundings and the broader environments they live in (therefore involving multiple scales). On a large scale, human geography explores how societies function and evolve in specific spatial-temporal contexts. On a more personal level, as ancient Greek geographer Strabo emphasized, geography (including human geography) addresses “the great problem of life and happiness,” enabling our exploration of the ultimate philosophical questions about ourselves and the world - Who am I? Where am I from? And, where am I heading? Indeed, geographical questions are pervasive, and one could argue that every question has a geographical dimension. Knowledge and sensitivity in human geography are essential for understanding the spatial patterns and geographical contexts of social, economic, political, cultural, ecological issues, among others. It not only deepens our understanding of our own existence in the past, present, and future, but also cultivates our appreciation for the complexity and diversity of the world in which we live.