The process of the application of the scientific method can be described as a feedback loop where in the output of one research question becomes the input of another. It has been said that with complex issues, the more answers that are found, the more questions that need to be asked. It is the important questions that are begged. The application of the scientific method is an incremental process as well.
The initial step in asking the question is the formulation of the question itself. Following the feedback model, the asking of the question begins with the answering of a prior question. Indeed the examination of prior questions is essential to proceeding without unwarranted assumptions. Also, whether by design or by default, other authorities may find a produced answer insufficient. The answer to a research question may conflict with someone’s pet theory or dogma. This will stimulate further research of an adversary own nature. Furthermore, an answer may point out unforeseen aspects of the topic to a friendly researcher. Just as any debate cannot continue without common definitions of terms, any answer to a question, define some terms in greater detail, unlocking doors to greater business, so to speak. The formulation of the question is analogous to the development of an algebraic formula; the factors must be identified like discovering the roots of any square involved. The components or terms of the equation must be isolated and analyzed to determine their exact contribution to the equation. Once the component of an unknown variable is determined, the nature of that variable can be investigated in terms of known factors. A telescope may provide information in isolation, but to determine interactions a wide-angle lens is required. The formulation of a hypothesis is the same thing as converting the original question into a format that is capable of measurement. Once the question has been translated into a testable hypothesis the collection of information can begin. Whether the information is collected with a butterfly net or a windsock the resolution of the matter depends upon the replacement of variables with values.
A question that cannot be put to the question, cannot be investigated. Its ineffable characteristics bring about a set of conditions upon which it can only speculated, this is the reason that it is the important questions that are begged, that these questions concerning ineffable concepts of a nebulous nature cannot be translated into measurable terms. The chemical composition of the soul cannot be determined because the soul cannot be put into a test tube and exposed to reagents. That it is the immateriality of the soul that resists the material constraints is irrelevant. In order to be measured, the soul must first be defined in measurable terms. While this has been said to be a limitation of the scientific method itself, this is not so. Consciousness is a construct postulated to claim the origins of behavior. While the mythology of consciousness may impede it does not preclude the study of behavior. The question of the nature of consciousness is a prior question whose irresolution does not prevent the continuation of investigation of phenomena from a black box perspective. To continue the algebra metaphor, the value of Y can be determined in terms of X without the determination of the value of X.
This does not lead to an answer as a final value, but this is why the scientific method is a cyclical process. The coming-into-the-nearness-of of that-which-regions is a product of peripatetic dialectical perception.
If I propose that there is an interactive relationship between the beating of a butterfly’s wing and wind currents, there will be someone else who will claim that the divergence in frame of reference or scale of observation between the two renders the resolution of the question dependent upon confounding variables, without the identification of potential multiplicative factors forming the bridge to any such relationship question this question will remain in the realm of articles of faith. In other words, while we may speculate about the performance of Boyle’s law as a contributing factor without common definitions in measurable terms, that remains mere speculation.
A pre-experimental study may stimulate true experimental research.
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