The Transition from the Analytic to Synthesis Reasoning in the Maps of Geographic School Atlases for Children - Maps for the Future Children Education and Internet - page 88

Fig. 7.1 The distribution of ternary structures in the country
7.4 The Synthesis Reasoning
Synthesis maps would have, as their first function, pointing out the correlations,
evidencing connections between distinct phenomena (Claval and Wieber 1969 ).
Synthesis is a necessity, but it has to be treated in a way that makes new
configurations to emerge, completely different from those resulted of a simple
sum of the elementary configurations. Just in this manner, an overview of the
reality would be achieved.
These maps become a privileged instrument of the geographer, who is interested
in regional studies.
Despite this entire methodological base, established with the evolution of the
cartographic science, it is noticeable that still exist a lot of confusion about what
synthesis cartography is. And this is transferred to school atlases.
Many people still conceive it, by means of maps stated—synthesis maps—not
like logical systems, but like superposition or juxtaposition of analyses. Then, very
confused maps appear, on which a lot of symbols are accumulated, denying the very
idea of synthesis.