Research, Inspirations for

Although scientists and scholars adopt many different methods for conducting research, one common thread that can be found in each of their philosophies and practices is that the genesis of science lies in an observation: some observed, hypothesized, or archived acknowledgement that (a) something has happened in the environment and (b) that happening can be understood by a curious observer. Notably, while a protracted discussion as to the nature of “knowing” is beyond the scope of this entry, one can understand the process of observing as the fundamental aspect of how one is inspired to conduct research.

Inspirations for scientific research come from our individual and collective lived experiences—that is, from the observations that we make in the environments in which we live. Of course, it is nigh-impossible for any one individual to occupy several environments and experience and record several lived experiences at any one point in time. Thus, the concept of an observation must be broadened to incorporate not just any one individual’s direct experience of a phenomenon, but also his or her ability to share those recordings with others such that all can benefit from any one observation.

Observations are the core of research inspiration because they often provide evidence of a phenomenon independent of our understanding of the same. To use a hypothetical example, when a bolt of lightning first stuck a dry grassy plain and resulted in a raging inferno, the first humans to observe this event were able to observe the phenomenon of “fire” independent of their ability to understand its properties and root causes. Their recording of this single instance of fire allowed others to compare their own instances of fire eventually leading to the establishment of a correlation between intense energy, heat, and combustion. One might argue that the first observation of what would eventually be known as fire was an astounding and profound phenomenon that begged a question: Why does this happen? In this way, the scientific method can be simply understood as the process of seeking an understanding to an observed phenomenon. This entry presents the various types of phenomenon observations and explains how each is translated to research.