Concepts in geomorphology: An alternative view – a response to Gregory and Lewin (2015)

Abstract

The term ‘concept’ as normally used by geomorphologists refers to defined ideas in the corpus of knowledge, World 3 of Popper. However, psychologists and philosophers regard them as parts of mental processes that take place in memory, World 2. A World 3 perspective demands clarity and definition of ideas, whereas a World 2 perspective is about fluidity and power of association with other ideas. In memory, concepts act as mnemonics. Taking a World 2 perspective has implications for research and teaching. It helps us to understand the use of concepts in the development of ideas, through imagination and conjecture, as well as matters of problem selection and mode of argument. Testability, though not an intrinsic aspect of concepts, is also intimately bound up with conceptualisation of problems and method. These notions of concepts have implications for research and teaching since they affect how we understand and practice geomorphology as a knowledge domain and how we address the mental skills of memory, imagination and creativity.