The Development of Modern Geography of the 18th Century

Geography comes from the word Geo which means Earth and Graphien which means to
describe. Literally Geography means the science that describes the Earth (Muntianto,
2008:1).

Development of Geography from time to time

1. Classical Geography
Knowledge of the Earth is still influenced by mythology and folklore. Classical
geographers include: Thales, Eratosthenes, Amaximandaros, Herodotus, and Ptolemy.
2. Medieval and renaissance geography
At this time the Arabs continued to build on the legacy left by the Greeks and Romans
during the Classical Geography period
3. Modern Geography
4. Geography of the late XIX and early XX centuries
During this period, cultural geography emerged which covered topics such as
settlement forms, types of houses, distribution of religion, language, technology,
livestock, and other cultures. Geographical figures at this time included: Fiederich
Ratzel, Ferdinand von Ritchoften, Hartshorne, Vidal de la Blache, Preston E. James,
Frank Debenham.
5. Geography of the latest era
At this time the development of geography was more directed at solving problems
faced by humans. Famous figures at this time were Wrigley and Peter Hagget.

Modern Geography in the 18th Century

This view developed in the 18th century. At this time Geography was considered a scientific
discipline.

The figures in this era of Modern Geography are:

1. Immanuel Kant

Immanuel Kant has the view that science can be viewed from 3 different views.

- Science that classifies facts based on the object under study, or also known as systematic
science.
According to him, the approach used in systematic science is the study of reality.

- Science that looks at the relationship of facts over time.

- The science that studies the facts associated in space.

However, there are also various oppositions to Kant's thinking, for example, is systematic
science in studying phenomena independent of space and time ?. Systematically, Kant divides
Geography into:

a. Mathematical Geography which contains information about the description of the

earth as a mass of the Solar System.
b. Moral Geography which is a description that contains a description of the ways and
customs of humans in various regions of the earth.
c. Political Geography which is a description that contains a description of state units in
the world based on a system of government.
d. Physical Geography which is a description that contains a description of the earth and
its parts including animals, vegetation and minerals.
e. Merchantile Geography, which is a description that contains an overview of the
pattern of economic relations between the population and the nations of the world.
f. Theological Geography which is a description that contains the religions in the world,
their distribution and changes in theological principles in various natural
environments.

Immanuel Kant is known as the father of geography, he is considered the founder of modern
geography. According to Kant, Geography is not only a summary of the state of nature, but
also the basis of history.

2. Alexander Baron van Humboldt

Alexander Baron van Humboldt was a scientist with an interest in physical and biological
appearances. He introduced the notion of ecology, which is the science that investigates the
relationship that exists between vegetation and altitude. Based on this notion of ecology, the
notion of the geographical environment emerged.

Humboldt wandered in several areas of the Americas, he noticed that there were no longer
pastoral nomads among Americans. It shows that this way of life is a social evolution that
occurs throughout the world. In addition, Humboldt commented on the similarities between
Asian and American cultures. From the results of his odyssey, Humboldt wrote Regional
Geography of Cuba and Mexico. And because of this description, Humboldt became the
foundation of phytogeography and climatology.

3. Karl Ritter

Karl Ritter, who is often called the father of social geography, was the first Professor of
Geography from Frederich Wilhelm University. Karl Ritter has the same thoughts as
Humboldt, especially in explaining human activities in an area. His view of geography is
influenced by religious thought, according to him the Earth was created by God so that
humans can learn and use it as a place to live. This view is the basis of his physical
determinism.

4. Charles Darwin

Darwin's theory had a wide influence on various fields of knowledge at that time, even the
concepts of "Survival Of The Fittest" and "Natural Selection" were the rationale for the
development of determinist physics.

The four main themes that have contributed to biology, especially Darwin's theory of
geographic thought, are:

- The idea of change through time

- The idea of organization

- The idea of struggle and selection (the idea of struggle and selection)

- The randomness or chance character of variations in nature.