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Where Do Research Problems Come From?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Lewis R. Binford
Lewis R. Binford*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, P. O. Box 750336, Dallas, TX 75275-0336
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Abstract

In science, understanding the relationship between data and problems is crucial to successful research. When problems are imposed on the data and its organization-instead of addressing the empirical subject matter of the discipline-a major epistemological difficulty arises. What domains of knowledge can reliably inform about the imposed problem? I suggest that the many claims that all data are "theory dependent" are primarily accurate in those instances when a problem is imposed on a body of data. This is the approach of humanities. When a problem is recognized in the context of pattern recognition studies that are focused on data generated from the study of one"s subject matter, a different relationship exists between data and theory and fruitful theory building becomes possible. The latter is the approach of science. Central to this contrast is the issue of where problems come from.

Résumé

Résumé

En las ciencias la comprensión de la relación entre los datos y los problemas es la clave de la investigación exitosa. Cuando se imponen los problemas en los datos y su organización—en vez de dirigirse a la materia empírica de la disciplina—surge una dificultad epistemológica mayor, ¿Cuáles son los dominios del conocimiento que pueden informarnos en una forma confiable acerca del problema impuesto? Yo sugiero que la afirmación muy común de que todos los datos “dependen de la teoría” es generalmente correcta en esos casos en los cuales se impone un problema en un grupo de datos. Esta es la manera de acercarse al asunto que caracteriza a las humanidades. Pero cuando se reconoce un problema dentro del contexto de los estudios de reconocimiento de patrones, que se enfocan en los datos producidos por el estudio de la materia de la disciplina, entonces existe una relación bastante distinta entre los datos y la teoría y, al mismo tiempo, se hace posible la construcción de la teoría. Esta última es la manera de acercarse al asunto que caracteriza a las ciencias. La clave para entender este contraste se ubica en la cuestión de dónde surgen los problemas.

Type
Special Section: Sources of Archaeological Research Questions
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 66 , Issue 4 , October 2001 , pp. 669 - 678
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 2001

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