DP,

Interesting model of research practice. I would also add--although it's missing
from most actual research practice--skepticism, doubt, and proactive attempts
at disconfirming what we think is happening (it is almost as easy to keep
believing that all swans are white when black swans are rare and secretive as
when they don't exist). Although its focus was more on human cognitive
exploration, the Grobstein article in your first issue made this point very
well.

I see the conceptual distinction you're making between observing and
intervening: I would argue though that, empirically, observation is far from
passive: we are, to begin with, the ones making the decisions about what data
to collect, which phenomena to observe (it is easy to keep believing that all
swans are white when our budgets only allow us the resources to collect data
about white swans). And, as Nietzsche put it, there is "no immaculate
perception." --claudia


On Monday, January 2, 2006, at 06:41 PM,
Research_Practice@yahoogroups.com wrote:

> 1. Talking about Research
> From: dpdash@...
>
>
> Dear Friends,
>
> I present a rough model to talk about a variety of research practice:
>
> --
> Taking research as a multi-agent process:
>
> Each agent can "tune" itself on a continuum:
> very passive (observing) <--> very active (intervening)
>
> When all participating agent are "tuned" at the very passive
> (or observing) end, we get only observations.
>
> In a certain type of world, the observations crystallise and
> we get classical scientific objects.
>
> If that does not happen, the agents tune themselves "up":
> towards a little interpretation and evaluation.
>
> Some interpretations get preferred and the process may "lock in."
>
> Given the lock-in, the agents come "down" to observations again (e.g.,
> widows become visible inside a culture)
>
> If that kind of lock-in does not happen, the agents tune
> themselves up again: towards choice, diversity, etc.
>
> This calls for "coordination."
>
> If effective coordination happens, then the collective forgets
> the differences and gets on with whatever is interesting.
>
> If the coordination does not happen, the agents tune themselves
> "up" once again: towards mentoring, educating, enabling,
> empowering, etc.
>
> This calls for self-observation and facilitation.
>
> If this happens effectively, we get self-observing collectives
> (or self-organising collectives)
>
> Otherwise, the agents tune up again...
> --
>
> Does it make sense? I welcome your comments.
>
> DP

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