One of the intrinsic features of a "living" science is to change its standing from time to time. In keeping with this, it is imperative that methodology be adjusted to the more modern conception of scientific theory. At the same time, this development is strongly influenced by new processing techniques and scientific advancement. An empirical science such as geography, particulzirly with reference to its social science branch, cannot therefore be detached completely from the development of society as a whole.
Recently, topical issues like human behaviour in space (Bartels 1968) have become more and more integrated into the geographical research field, and have manifested themselves in the formation of new perspectives. In this connection, the concept of social geography has been discussed more emphatically in post-war Germany, with general views and objectives frequently differing from those of Englishspeaking countries (e.g.E. Jones 1975, H. Kariel and P. Kariel 1972). * Even in German-speaking countries, the position of social geography is not entirely beyond dispute. A remarkable number of geographers consider this field to be a subordinate discipline of human geography, like geography of religion or traffic geography, with a view to investigating social conditions. Others again do not even go that far and regard social geography rather as an appurtenant part of economic geography, merely adding another aspect to the science of human geography, but not actually changing the old-established principles.
A second group tries to solve the problem in a rather superficial way by using terms such as anthropogeography, human geography and social geogra:phy as a synonym for one and the same subject, i.e. the geography of man in the traditional sense.
* The author complies with Yates's request to outline briefly the German concept of social geography; also see full text in "Sozialgeographie" (1972)