Research as assembling a jigsaw puzzles: some ideas and request for info

May 13, 2018 4:56 AM

I am writing a paper about the role of economic policy in GDP growth rates I want to start with an exploration of the roots of knowledge to provide a framework for my approach to the subject.

That is, first, the gaining of knowledge and insight as gathering pieces of a larger puzzle, as described by Eldon Taylor in "Choices & Illusions" (“I enjoy assembling puzzles. The most challenging puzzles require assembling small pieces into larger pieces before linking all the pieces in a complete picture.”), and, second, the idea that choosing a perspective in writing a paper can both provide a clear focus for the work but, also, limit its scope.

I want to gather some epistemological references - available as ebooks, if possible - that can potentially build on the above and weave the ideas together.I would like to compare the zooming in with a limited focus as being like focussing on assembled related pieces into one cluster. I would also be interested in any references or suggestions for relating this to Imre Lakatos' Methodology of Scientific Research Programs (MSRP) and his idea of progressive and degenerating research programs. I would like to refer to the clusters of assembled pieces as being like different research programs. Any suggestions for how I can develop this epistemological framework for this essay would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

posted by JMC2018 to Science & Nature (2 answers total)

If you're interested in crossing some disciplinary terrain, I suspect that you'll find Carlo Ginsburg's Clues: Roots of an Evidential Paradigm to be provocative. The seminal chapter from that monograph is readily available online as a pdf. You might also be interested in work on the history of science, and I think you could do worse than to start with Barbara Shapiro's A Culture of Fact. For theories of assemblages, networks, etc. -- especially in the context of science -- pretty much everything Bruno Latour has written would probably interest you, but I sort of suspect you might already be on that beat.
posted by pinkacademic at 7:55 AM on May 13, 2018

Oh, and perhaps also (again, crossing disciplinary terrain): Thomas Nagel's The View from Nowhere.
posted by pinkacademic at 7:57 AM on May 13, 2018