Plato and Aristotle

• The origins of a philosophy of place can be seen in classical Greek philosophy, particularly in Plato and Aristotle's writings.
• Plato developed the notions of chora and topos in the context of an account of the origins of existence and the process of 'becoming' (a space becoming place).
• Chora is a term which implies both extent in space and the thing in that space that is in the process of 'becoming'.
• Topos refers to an achieved place.
• Aristotle used chora to describe a country while topos would describe a particular region or place within it.
• Chorology is the study of regions and topography is the shape of the land surface.
• Kenon refers to abstract space or a limitless void.
• Aristotle believed that place "takes precedence over all other things".
• The geographical question of 'where?' (location) is fundamental to Aristotle for everything that exists must be somewhere.