In class we have been discussing the concept of spacetime in great detail. However, relative space-time has put on the back burner slightly. In terms of cartography, the relative view of space-time provides an interesting lens when looking at a map. In Deconstructing the Map, Harley describes cartography as both a science and an art. (Harley 2). His argument states that we should shift the way we think about the nature of cartography. I believe that Harley would interpret Harvey’s view of space-time as a successful epistemological shift. Harvey states, “each map projection tells its relative truth.” (Harvey 13). This ‘relative truth’ is what Harley wants others to recognize in maps. The implicit message that is expressed in maps is only relative and is extremely subjective.
For example, the map of Mohegan is less of a ‘traditional’ map (in that directions can not really be ascertained from its depiction) but more of a landscape. It tells more of a story instead of giving instruction or direction. It also depicts Mohegan at a specific time, 1896 to be exact, and in its illustration it shows a small village and boats in the harbor–but this map is from a specific point of view. Another person viewing Mohegan on the same day may see something else, depending on their point of view. The identity of Mohegan at that point in time and space is completely relative. Harley asks the question “where is the history of landscape and where is the space-time of human existence” on a map. (Harley 13). But I believe that these are not questions that can be answered in a map. While it is true that a map is a piece of science and art, that expresses “an embedded social vision,” that social vision is that of the cartographer. (Harley 13) The bias and experience of a single person are expressed in that social vision, and therefore the “space-time of human existence’ can not be shown in a piece of paper. When looking at a map through the lens of space-time, one is simply acknowledging how the map is expressing a relative identity of place but not a concrete identity.