An epistemological analysis from postmodern cartography and its relation with Wittgenstein’s second philosophy

Authors

Abstract

This article links philosophy with maps and cartography, conceived as forms of knowledge. There is a gap between epistemological conceptions and state-of-art in the cartographic discipline. This gap is addressed by considering Ludwig Wittgenstein’s “Philosophical Investigations”. Methodologically, from the semiotics perspective applied to cartography, this article compares semantics maps and pragmatics maps, establishing that both types of depictions have different reality conceptions. It is analyzed the proposal of postmodern social cartography and its contribution to mapping the mini-narratives that had fallen behind against the big discourses or dominant narratives of the period of modernity. It is concluded with an analogy concerning postmodern cartography and conceptions of the second Wittgenstein philosophy.

Keywords:

Wittgenstein, postmodern cartography, semantics map, pragmatics map, contextual meaning