EXPLANATION IN MEDICAL GEOGRAPHY - EVIDENCE AND EPISTEMOLOGY

This paper discusses some basic questions about evidence, proof, argument, and explanation in medical geography. The main objective is an evaluation of the underlying epistemological robustness of the field and the cogency of its claims to possess knowledge. It is argued that the constraints imposed by inductive and deductive reasoning prevent the formulation of causal explanations of a kind likely to satisfy those potential external consumers of medical geography's output who unreflectively apply a criterion of certainty. It is suggested that all forms of empirically relevant explanation will fall short of this standard, which must, therefore be relaxed to a criterion of adequacy as developed by the American Pragmatists, especially William James. © 1991.