The topic of discourse in general is examined and examples of how scientific inquiry in the field of geography is affected by discourse are provided. To develop a more complete understanding of research, the author states that it is often useful to step back and ask why researchers choose to conduct research as they do, and why they so often ride the intellectual bandwagons which roll through various disciplines. He then discusses how a portion of the answer may lie in certain thoughts stemming from Foucault's conceptualization of discourse, defined as a broad collection of principles and beliefs which serve to set the bounds of knowledge and understanding. The effects of discourse on the following three areas of geography are examined: (1) the evolution of cartography; (2) the study of human ecological adaptation; and (3) the influx of quantitative approaches to the study of geographical topics. Insights grounded in the phenomenology of Husserl, particularly the notion of regional ontologies, are proposed as important potential means of dealing with the effects of discourse. (Author/RM)