Name: CAIO CHAGAS DE AGUIAR
Publication date: 13/03/2026
Examining board:
Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| JOSIMAR MONTEIRO SANTOS | Examinador Externo |
| PAULO CESAR SCARIM | Presidente |
| ROBERTO GARCIA SIMOES | Examinador Interno |
Summary: This study aims to bring the geographical debate closer to the philosophical system of Arthur
Schopenhauer, taking as it s main axis the epistemological perspective of geography and the
history of geographical thought. The research enters the field of philosophy, especially the
philosophy of nature and the theory of knowledge, seeking to establish an interdisciplinary
dialogue between geography and philosophy based on a theme still scarcely explored within
geographical studies. Grounded in bibliographical review and theoretical-conceptual analysis
of Schopenhauer’s work, the study adopts the concept of Representation as it principal
analytical axis, while also recognizing the underlying presence of the notion of Will as the
metaphysical foundation of reality and as a structuring element of Schopenhauer’s
philosophical system. It is argued that Schopenhauer’s philosophy offers important
contributions to the understanding of geographical space by highlighting the mediations
existing between subject and object, perception and reality, intuition and abstraction. In this
sense, geographical space is understood not merely as objective materiality, but also as a
representational construction derived from the ways in which subjects perceive, interpret, and
experience the world. The investigation demonstrates that themes such as spatiality, body,
perception, conflicts, solidarities, aesthetics, and causality may be reinterpreted in light of
Schopenhauerian philosophy, thereby expanding the analytical possibilities of contemporary
geography. Despite Schopenhauer’s significant influence across different fields of knowledge,
his presence within geographical thought remains limited. Thus, this study seeks to contribute
to the epistemological deepening of geography by proposing an approximation between the
Schopenhauerian concept of representation and the production of geographical space. It is
concluded that geography, as a form of interpreting the world, constitutes itself as a
representation of representations.
