Rethinking ‘space as a container’. Is everything signal variation?
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2026
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01A - Journal article
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The Cartographic Journal
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1-5
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Taylor & Francis
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Abstract
A common use of the word 'space' refers to it as a container of things, commonly so in cartography as well as other spatial disciplines. According to this way of thinking, space contains phenomena; we live in it, and we move through it. This notion has carried over into fundamental theories of various scientific fields such as spatial cognition, geography and some engineering disciplines. Even though the conceptualization of space as a container makes intuitive sense at first, space cannot be defined as a container without a reference frame, and a reference frame cannot be defined without space. To avoid this circular logic, in this paper, we argue that the concept of space can be defined with respect to our experience of signal variation, just like anything else. This line of thinking suggests that everything is spatial because space is an abstraction of all other experiences.
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0008-7041
1743-2774
1743-2774
Language
English
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Yes
Strategic action fields FHNW
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Published
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peer-reviewed
Open access category
Hybrid
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Citation
Thrash, T., & Cöltekin, A. (2026). Rethinking ‘space as a container’. Is everything signal variation? The Cartographic Journal, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1080/00087041.2026.2632504