Space and Spaces

Alternative conceptions of space abound in geography, and drawing a line between them is not always easy. A distinction that seems particularly difficult to make is the one between perceptual and cognitive space. Although it is usually recognized that these are different concepts, the lack of any hard distinctions between them continues to be the cause of some confusion in behavioral studies. In this paper we show that a formal distinction between perceptual and cognitive space, as well as some other concepts of space currently used in geography, can be drawn within the framework of algebraic structures of the group family. Indeed, it appears that different concepts of space can be associated with particular members of that family. The paper ends with a speculative discussion of the possible wider significance of these results, in particular with respect to the structure of the formal languages most appropriate for the analysis of each of these concepts of space, and consequently, of the empirical phenomena viewed in their context.