Law making discipline is known as_________ .

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 1

The correct answer is Option (1) → Nomothetic Discipline

Option (1) Nomothetic Discipline — Correct. Geography went through a long debate on whether it should be a law making/theorising (nomothetic) or a descriptive (idiographic) discipline. A nomothetic discipline looks for general laws and theories that hold for many places.

Option (2) Idiographic Discipline — Incorrect. It is the other side of the same debate: an idiographic discipline describes the unique features of each place instead of framing laws.

Option (3) Chronological Discipline — Incorrect. Chronology arranges events in the order of time; the debate was about framing laws or describing places.

Option (4) Descriptive Discipline — Incorrect. ‘Descriptive’ is the plain name for idiographic, the discipline that describes rather than makes laws.

Note: The concept in Option (3), ‘Chronological Discipline’, is not in NCERT (2025-26); explained here for the benefit of the students.

NCERT (2025-26): “…You are already aware of the fact that the core concern of geography as a discipline is to understand the earth as home of human beings and to study all those elements which have sustained them. Thus, emphasis is on study of nature and human beings. You will realise that geography got subjected to dualism and the wide-ranging debates started whether geography as a discipline should be a law making/theorising (nomothetic) or descriptive (idiographic). Whether its subject matter should be organised and approach of the study should be regional or systematic? Whether geographical phenomena be interpreted theoretically or through historic-institutional approach? These have been issues for intellectual exercise but finally you will appreciate that the dichotomy between physical and human is not a very valid one because nature and human are inseparable elements and should be seen holistically.…”