GEOGRAPHICAL IMPERATIVES – BASIC POSTULATES OF GEOGRAPHY

Problem Statement and Purpose. The emergence of the concept of imperatives is associated with the search for ways to solve the current and complex problem of interaction between society and the natural environment. At one time, I. Kant was engaged in solving this conflict, who developed a new concept – the imperative. Where the relationship of society with nature is not regulated, it is necessary to establish an ethical and moral norm of nature management, which he designated as a moral imperative, that is, as a “moral law”. A logical question arises about the practical significance of the moral imperative. At the end of the last century, an environmental imperative was established, which acquires the status of a moral law. The concept of geographical imperatives also has a similar methodological sequence of its formation. The purpose of our research is to develop a methodological scheme of geographical imperatives. Data&Methods. As a methodological basis, we used the developments described in the scientific works of Kant I., Bagrov M. V., Rudenko L. G., Chervanev I. G., Tunitsa Yu. Yu., and previous author’s developments. When conducting the study, the authors were guided by general scientific methods in geographical research, fundamental philosophical methods, in particular the principle of comprehensive consideration of the subject, the principle of unity of logical and historical. The authors used research in the field of synergetics, coevolution and the noosphere, which reveal a fundamentally new type of connection between nature and man in their interaction and provide for the use of a conscious rational strategy of interaction with the environment by humanity. Results. The development of geographical imperatives is one of the ways to overcome the barrier of differentiation between natural and social laws in the study of the integral shell of the Earth. The article presents a methodological scheme for thedevelopment of geographical imperatives, which consists of four significant blocks: a general scientific methodology for solving problems of interaction between society and nature using the category of moral imperatives; the second block concerns the subject area of Geographical Science, which indicates the use of moral imperatives for a holistic consideration of the Earth’s shell; the third block is devoted to practical needs – rational use of Natural Resources, which should be based on the concept of geographical imperatives, the conceptual and conceptual development of which is presented in the fourth block. The article presents an overview of geographical imperatives, which denote general concepts and categories that characterize the Earth’s shell as an integral socio-natural geosphere, including the geographical imperative of the integral landscape shell of the Earth, the geographical imperative of invaironment, the geographical imperative of the environment, the imperative of geospatial position, the Geospatial imperative, the imperative of geocomplexes, the geosystem imperative, the geographical imperative of geospatial planning, the geographical imperative of Geoinformation technologies and systems.