Breaking the Mold I: Theoretical Research of Intelligent Design
From ResearchID.org
Contents |
Breaking the Mold I: Theoretical Research of Intelligent Design
by ResearchID.org. Initiated 10 March 2006.
Introduction
As the foundations of ResearchID.org were being constructed, we realized there was no well-articulated general approach to undertaking research (theoretical or empirical) from an "intelligent design framework." In fact, to our knowledge there was not even a framework.
The focus of this guide is on laying a foundation of knowledge for proceeding into the realm of ID hypotheses, armed with the necessary techniques to apply them. General principles are proposed here, so that this method can be applied to as many fields as possible.
Professionalism
With sufficient study and insight, someone without specialized training can contribute constructively to theoretical research. Sometimes, an outside perspective can shed new light on a stale topic that is bogged down in an unfruitful pattern of thought.
This outline is starting "from scratch," so as to be useful to those at every level. While professionals in a field can obviously skip certain steps presented here, they may yet find this approach refreshing. What is presented here is an ideal approach, not all of these conditions must be met every time new research is explored. However, close adherence to these principles can certainly increase the veracity of any research project.
Supplementing or reforming a researcher's current view of his study is a monumentous task. Breaking the mold of old thought patterns and intellectual habits can be a slow and arduous process. With so much time and practice invested into a particular paradigm, many resist simply out of fear of change. Though this is a burden some refuse to carry, those willing to sow the seeds of insight for a new idea wil have a rich harvest of research possibilities unattainable by the former methods. One searching for insight from ID must begin to think more positively about causality from a design perspective, and what teleological causation implies about the universe and phenomena therein.
Current status of theoretical research of ID
Up to the present, theoretical research is by far the most commonly undertaken study of intelligent design, with empirical research trailing behind. Yet, this fact illustrates that ID is on track, not that it is floundering. It is only natural that the theoretical foundations of a new scientific idea should be thoroughly explored early in its infancy. This theoretical research should also continue after empirical studies are well underway, as well. For the sake of the intellectual vitality of the approaches, and for continual revitalization of its empirical inquiries, new theoretical research is a must.
Synthetic Outline
This synthetic outline is our proposed method in summary, making an effortful attempt to utilize as many pre-existing resources and methods as possible. This method assumes that the study involves current and historical aspects of a discipline.
1.) Disciplinary foundations - Understand the inherent reasoning and logic of the discipline, especially by knowing the:
- a. Object of study - Learn what is currently defined as the proper object of study for the discipline.
- b. Methodology - Become familiar with the trends and approaches of the discipline.
2.) Design foundations - Become thoroughly familiar with the general concept of intelligent design and its subsidiary views.
- We must begin to think about what science can tell us if there are teleological aspects involved in the origin and unfolding of phenomena.
- a. Design formulations - Master the pertinent ID concepts as formulated by other design theorists that are applicable to the discipline.
3.) Reinterpretation - Learn how to look at old data in new ways, enhanced by ID perspectives. Develop new methodologies for interpreting data through the design paradigm.
4.) Integration - Formulate new methods, which could be recapitulations of old methods enhanced by ID, or a new approach inspired by design-theoretic study.
Epilogue
This is a proposed method of undertaking this task, and no doubt, there are many ways this can be done. This is the one that we have employed in order to derive some of the research here at ResearchID.org. To be sure, this approach is a seminal form, and it will be developed and honed as time goes on (one of the advantages of a wiki).
