Domain

Explanation

Research

• Research, in this most fundamental state, is the creation, extension, propagation and transformation of newly discovered ideas, concepts, implementations and tasks that expands, modifies and regulates our outlook & perspectives of what it is and it is not
• The spirit of research is that portion of the human spirit that encompasses perseverance, curiosity & diligence to strive for what is worthy - it is the spirit of Relentless Search
• The Renaissance period forms and embodies the foundation of modern research efforts
• It is the research niche that guides, regulates and focuses all creativity, thoughtfulness, skills, techniques and connectivity
• Yet the variations, variety & uniqueness of niches allow holistic and divisionism approaches to the research jigsaw puzzle
• Without the appropriate, effective dissemination, discussions and deliberations of the research community through publications, research efforts would be incomplete & exhaustive
• All research end in uses, whether arts, education, commerce, industry, administration, body, bio-genetics, quotes, world or life

Foundations

• Constant, consistent and continuous immersion in ambient environment and consciousness full of spirit, motivation, inspiration, touch, vigilance, playfulness and compassion
• Research, in its most primitive and uninhibited form, is embodied & exhibited by the newborns & newly-hatched - whereby instantaneous contact & intercourse of the senses, mind & environment fuse together in the harmonics of life
• Placed thoroughly in the present, completely absent from past experiences, successes or failures, incomprehensive of future effects or consequences, to experiment and survive in this neurological biogenetic world
• Devoid of prior, preconceived solidified perspectives, ideas, concepts, constraints & biases
• Using feelings, observations, senses, reactions & communications to relate wholesomely to the experience
• "My work rests on the shoulders of giants before" - Sir Issac Newton
• The significance of this quote is the cornerstone of all research - literature foundations from previous related findings
• By referencing, extending and contrasting with past & present findings, researchers can understand, appreciate & trace the evolution of ideas & results relative & relevant to the present research
• This forms the chain of research - the web of knowledge (which the ubiquitous Internet is modeled after) extending from the present back to the start of recorded history & forward onto the future
• What communication is to research mirrors what the Internet is to the New Economy
• Effective communication, in the forms of language, symbolism & organisational structuring, form the next cornerstone of all research
• Clear, substantiated, unambiguous communications, whether in thoughts, speech, writing, work & propagation, reduces learning anxiety & greatly, sometimes phenomenally improves transformational learning & research
• But, language can be both an enabling & constraining factor
• Deficiency for scientific expression using language can be addressed using symbolism that is substantiated, relevant & unambiguous
• But, language and symbolism might not be readily enculturated or accepted
• Arrangement of findings using language & symbolism in the customised appropriate manner is crucial to learning - organisation is hence the coupling factor

Fundamentals

• Modern research can be formal and informal
• Formal research involves the academic, commercial & industrial communities where research directions & efforts are coordinated and institutionalised according to niches, mostly involving academics & professionals - enables great referencing & reliability, yet rigidity
• Informal research belongs to all other forms of research where organisation is not emphasized - allows great flexibility, yet unaccountability
• Formal research would occur in three levels:

1. Tutorial research: research where findings might not be formally published yet, but would be with time; mostly performed by students; involves mostly techniques, tactics & observations; addresses implementation deficiencies, facilitation & applicability issues; less focus on skills; preserves, but does not challenge the present perspectives; offers no radicals shifts
2. Transformational research: research where findings are based on subtle observations of present & previous fundamentals; addresses conceptual deficiencies and clarifies misconceptions; combination of skills and techniques; challenges present perspectives, but lacks the fundamentals for radical paradigm shifts
3. Transcendent research: research with bases, reasoning & findings that are often unconventional, overlooked, ignored or assumed in the past or present literature; addresses presumptions, ills and deficiencies through new, often refreshing & sometimes controversial means; combination of wisdom, skills and techniques; challenges & sometimes completely overturns all previous & present literature findings; represents a radical paradigm shift in perspectives, concepts, ideas & approaches; might open up new fields of study, yet can also thoroughly end existing fields however large or prosperous

Inventive problem solving

• Due to the complex, uncertain nature of research, problem solving is an implied necessity
• In an article - Problem "GLISVON" (Education - Singapore's Knowledge Industry Journal) - by Rodney Tom (PSB Academy), 5 principles should be adhered:

1. "Is the problem really the problem?": find the root cause of the current problem
2. Expand & contract: "expand" by exploring all possible (within & without one's knowledge domain) solutions, then "contract" by narrowing down to minimum, most effective solutions
3. Contingency plans: advised to have 3 ranked options
4. Promote value creation side of solution: promote & encourage the use of the solutions that meet the needs of others
5. Reality: awareness & acceptance (embracement) of the need & prevalence of ubiquitous problem-solving

• This points out the confluence of principles that remain true and useful across various research faculties
• A common example is the cultural values (as principles) and daily living and conduct (as specifics) - the principles are interpreted and customised for use in different domains
• Hence,
• The same problems are prevalent throughout all industries & sciences in some form or another
• These "universal" problems have "universal" solutions
• By equating, transforming specific problem into the universal problem, the universal solution can be adapted to specific solution
• This lays the foundation of Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ by Genrech S. Altshuller in 1946 in the amidst of working, assessing & analysing patents)
• The fundamentals lie in the observation that >90% of patents involve various improvements on present foundations or knowledge - in other words, tutorial or transformational researches
• Based on this observation, various TRIZ principles & concepts have been proposed to accelerate & manage problem solving
• First, assess one's skills profile, then proceed to an intro to TRIZ and goto links

Theory of Knowledge
(epistemology)

• Adapted from International Baccalaureate (grown out of international schools' efforts to establish a common curriculum and university entry credential for geographically mobile students)
• Involves the core of:

1. Creativity
2. Action
3. Service

• Critical thinking & challenges students to question the basis of knowledge
• Students are encouraged to foster tolerance and inter-cultural understanding
• Six supporting groups of knowledge:

1. Language
2. Second language
3. Individual and societies
4. Experimental sciences
5. Mathematics
6. Arts & electives

Paradox

• To reach a widely-accepted standing in the research requires brilliant & consistent contributions - this needs a breeding period where the "conventions" of the research community is enculturated into the young
• The irony is that on the one hand, the research community strives to break "conventions", yet on the other hand, it relies on certain "conventions" for contributions - whether this has detrimental or directive effects on the research frontier requires further studies
• This paradox explains why most research efforts (>90%, approximated from patents) belong to the tutorial & transformational levels
• Researchers rely on conventions for convenience, thus are subsequently restrained by such constraints
• Yet,
• When researchers try to release such constraints, they open up a wider convention set, which in turn, is still constrained by these subsequent conventions
• By induction, such type of researches would only be continually entering & exiting itself endlessly, although strictly not aimlessly
• By the Incompleteness Theorem,
• Such researches are unstable (i.e. they would not converge) due to their inherent incompleteness of the conventions
• Hence,
• This paradox is the last cornerstone of research à research in itself is endless, continuous & relentless

Findings

• Foundations: chain of research, effective communication
• Fundamentals: informal research, formal research
• Formal research: tutorial, transformational, transcendent
• Theory of Inventive Problem-Solving: By equating, transforming specific problem into the universal problem, the universal solution can be adapted to specific solution
• Theory of Knowledge: epistemology
• Paradox: the incompleteness of research

Laws of ReSearch

• First Law of ReSearch 研究第一法則:

3 help:

• Seek people
• Seek methods
• Seek papers, texts

3 types of papers:

• General research papers
• Specific complementary papers
• Specific contrary papers

5 research tricks:

• Theorem of Least Work
• Principle of Priority
• Doctrine of Stepping Stones
• Way of fundamentals
• TRIZ

2 comm. Approaches:

• Pyramid approach
• Inverted pyramid approach
• Zeroth Law of ReSearch 研究原極法則: states that with regards to general situations with inherently known & unknown knowledge & methodologies, the fundamentals of complex problems exist on both known & unknown domains, where the known aspects can be uncovered by the First Law of Research and the unknown aspects can be reiteratively uncovered by repetitve, relentless & retrospectively research the known aspects with renewed perspectives, hence ReSearch
• Second Law of ReSearch 研究第二法則: states that with regards to the shifting of research focus under environmental conditions, all processes involve arbitrary chaining of the basic configuration of subsystem-system-suprasystem, with the system as the event-of-interest, where for any system, there would always exist a more fundamental, smaller, simpler, more rigid, less flexible, less powerful, more stable & less interactive system – subsystem; and there would always exist a more complex, larger, less rigid, more flexible, more powerful, less stable but more interactive system – suprasystem
• Last Law of ReSearch 研究終極法則: states that with regards to the circumstances surrounding the researcher, by segregating oneself from the constraints imposed either virtually or metaphysically, there would always exist conditions to either engage in new research or terminate existing research through a problem-centred perspective

Implications

• Similar to Loving-Doving=0:

1. Like two sides of a coin, loving & doving come together bundled as twins - to forsake loving is doving, to forsake doving is loving
2. The middle being complete strangers or complete wisdom

• Research itself is the loving-doving process, where initiation begets initiation, endlessly, though strictly not aimlessly pursuing
• Before this process initiates, the researcher-to-be is akin to a stranger
• Post-process by the Last Law of ReSearch, the researcher is akin to a wiser
• It also points out the transitions where a Jack of All embarks on a research journey towards a Master of One only to discover Jack of All all over again
• Thus,
• The essence of research lies not in the process of ReSearch, but in entity of Search
• Corollary: The Matrix