The paper deals with the so-called quantitative revolution in geography that took place during the 50s and 60s, in the twentieth century. Changes associated with the revolution were fi rst conducted in American and British universities. The philosophical basis of the ensuing geographical paradigm is stressed; likewise, a brief critical review of the Hartshorne-Schaefer debate on “geographic exceptionalism” is attempted in light of its lasting infl uence on contemporary geography. Finally, the article selectively examines the role played by the new paradigm in advancing location theory and economic geography at large.El artículo presenta una revisión a la llamada revolución cuantitativa en las décadas de los años 50 y 60 del siglo XX, principalmente en los escenarios científi co-académicos de las universidades americanas e inglesas. Se destacan los posibles fundamentos fi losófi cos de dicho paradigma y se examina el debate entre Fred K. Schaefer y Richard Hartshorne acerca del “excepcionalismo geográfi co” y su trascendencia en la geografía contemporánea. Por último se destaca la infl uencia del paradigma en la geografía económica locacional.