Principles and metaphors instead of laws: towards a search for ideas of axiomatization of social geography

Attention is focused on the content of the so-called “laws of geography” by W. Tobler and Co, which have unexpectedly gained wide resonance in world literature. The controversial definition of the term “law” given its rich polysemy, gives rise to a variety of “simulacra laws” in science, which at best are principles or empirical axioms expressed metaphorically. It is emphasized that the enrichment of cartography with the ideas of mathematical modeling and the innovative contribution to the development of geographic information systems have really modernized the methodological base of geographical science. However, calling these proposed, often controversial, principles the first, second, and third “laws” of geography is hardly accurate due to the illegitimate association of cartography (an interdisciplinary field of knowledge) with the entire field of geography. Moreover, the sacramental dualism of geographical science still makes it difficult to clearly formulate laws that would integrate natural and humanitarian artifacts within a single geography.