Paradigms in cartography

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This book reviews key trends, concepts, and directions in cartography and mapping during modernism and post-modernism. It delves into philosophical and epistemological issues from positivist-empiricist, neo-positivist, and post-structuralist perspectives. The discussion encompasses both technological and theoretical aspects, aiming to illuminate the epistemological and philosophical viewpoints that have shaped the discipline. Influential philosophers such as Immanuel Kant, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Karl Popper, and Bertrand Russell are examined, highlighting their indirect connections to cartography and mapping, with Kant being the exception. The analysis includes Thomas Kuhn's concept of paradigm shifts, applied to the evolution of cartography since the mid-20th century, reflecting its relevance within scientific and disciplinary communities. The authors also explore cartography's position among the sciences and other fields from a positivistic standpoint. Furthermore, they assess contemporary trends in cartography and mapping, particularly in relation to information and communication technologies, framed within a post-modernistic or post-structuralist context. Since the 1980s and 1990s, these new mapping concepts have emerged, challenging traditional notions within the discipline.