The concept of Geography is at once both a simple and a phenomenally complex

concept. The simple and complex natures are encompassed in the benign
statement that ‘all things have relationships with everything else’ and the devil is
in the details.

National Geographic starts out by implying that geography helps us to better

understand our surroundings while at the same time acknowledging the
complexity of geographic methodologies with the statement: “Some people have
trouble understanding the complete scope of the discipline of geography
because, unlike most other disciplines, geography is not defined by one particular
topic. Instead, geography is concerned with many different topics—people,
culture, politics, settlements, plants, landforms, and much more.” (NatGeo, n.d.,
pp 2) The very nature of geographical techniques being a part of other disciplines
opens a Pandora’s Box of problems if one is not careful. Within the cultural
geography construct race and culture are frequently used in error. Gritzner points
out that frequently under the guise of political correctness race and cultural
indicators are used incorrectly through his statement of “Increasingly, in our
"politically correct" society, multicultural is used in a racial context. Conversely,
race often is used in reference to culture and/or ethnicity.” (Gritzner, 2002, pp.
222-223) Gritzner further cautions that the geographers should have knowledge
of the discipline related to the source data sufficient to apply the necessary level
or precision.

In summary, the subject of geography can be considered a superset of nearly

every other discipline. The concept of interaction is found everywhere from the
super macro level (astro physics) to the super micro (atomic physics) with the
myriad permutations of time, place and circumstances in between while great
care must be taken when utilizing data outside their level of expertise.

National Geographic, n.d.,

http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/geography/?
ar_a=1

Gritzner, C. F. (2002). Restoring "culture" and related terms to their rightful

geographic meaning. The Journal of Geography, 101(5), 222. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/216839140?accountid=8289