Researching research: What it means to fuck around but, more importantly, to find out.
Due to unforeseen circumstances beyond my control – well. Foreseen circumstances beyond my control. The hypothetical learnings of which being not to trust a tech startup that likes to rebrand in attempts rid of bad press and legal problems. Allegedly.
Regardless, the circumstances have meant it so I am without links to a lot of my work. Removed by a company I was working for. Learning point numero dos being to make sure you have a backup to everything. You live and you learn. The following was thrown together in a panic over the course of an afternoon.
Here is my new research project: researching research. A few words on what it means to find things out and such. My journalistic integrity requires me to disclose that I do have a prior relationship with research. As an ADHD woman you can find me frequently spending time with research, discovering every detail of every rabbit hole I fall down until my entire brain is awash with useless factoids. The only use of which being for me to scatter haphazardly and without provocation into almost any conversation I have.
Did you know: giraffes sleep standing up for an average of 30 minutes a night. Blissfully unaware of capitalism and yet still on that #grindset. Related tidbit: God I wish that were me. Unrelated tidbit: it is not.
Disclosures out of the way, I will start this research post the same way I started every essay in college. The Oxford English Dictionary defines research as:
the systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions. So that’s what I’ll be doing. What does it mean to research, when did people start researching, and to what benefit or detriment does research bring us? Roll the intro.
Did you know: the latest release from the Oxford English Dictionary focused a lot on etymology. Something I have a particular interest in so, naturally, had to jump face-first into that rabbit hole. My favorite highlight from the latest revision was 100% “talk” being highlighted as “probably a derivative of ‘tale’ plus a suffix that perhaps shows iterative meaning.” That’s fucking fantastic. We came up with “tale” and then talk. We told tales so much we integrated the word for telling tales. It also speaks to (pun intended) the fact all our communication was spoken. Or at least, to most people. Man, I love words, people are awesome.
Where did research come from?
As a word nerd I am forced to present to you this aside: the word “research” comes from Middle French. As even a non-word-nerd could derive, it is the words “re” and “cerchier”. In this context “re” means to repeatedly do something and “cerchier” is, well to search. So to repeatedly search. This is the second cutest etymology of a word. The first, obviously, being astronaut’s origins coming from the Greek “star sailor.” Adorable.
Much like many words the English language gets from French, its first usage was in the 16th century. As a Brit, I must take this opportunity to scowl at the French. You can’t see me, but I can assure you I’m scowling right now.
The earliest evidence for the term “research” is in 1588 by the astrologer John Harvey. In order for me to know more, Oxford University wanted to charge me. Snobby wankers. But, as far as I can tell, this first usage was included in Harvey’s book “A discoursiue probleme concerning prophesies how far they are to be valued, or credited, according to the surest rules, and directions in diuinitie, and other learning.” (1588) And you know what? I’ll start bullying Pete Wentz less, knowing this is how books were titled in ye olde days.
I did manage to find the following quote, courtesy of the University of Michigan: “research their antiquities, compare their chronologies, examine their records and regi∣sters.” Here, I believe homeboy is talking about the end of the world in the Bible, but the 1500s talk has thrown me off. Regardless, the context of research makes sense. Look over, search, your antiquities as you should examine the records and such. Potentially for the biblical end of days, but researching history, politics, and etymology is much more fun. Sit Johnny boy in front of the internet for seven minutes and he’ll implode.
Did you know: sparkling water can also harm your teeth. Significantly less than soda, but still causing harm. This is because of the CO2. It makes my dentist very sad.
Beyond the word: the history of researching
Humans are curious creatures. We’ve always sought after answers. A more pessimistic man than myself would argue we invented religion to give us the answers we wanted to hear. A more optimistic one would ponder the use of storytelling in society. But I am not a man. And I am once again getting off track.
What I’m saying is that I don’t believe research had a set beginning. I think we’ve always hunted for answers to things. It’s the reason we’re here, really. As far as I understand it (which is perfectly well me thinks) some lil monkey dude decided to tie a rock to a stick because they wondered what it would do. And now I have to pay a mortgage so, screw that guy I guess.
But research in the way we know it, scientific in its approach is what I suppose is I’m alluding to, can be dated back to the 6th century BCE with pre-Socratic philosophers. Despite always researching nature to figure out crop cycles and other such fun survival things, humans would begin to study nature beyond fun survival things and as an end itself with philosophers with fantastic names such as Thales of Miletus and Anaximander in what is now Greece and Turkey.
The latter proposed the earth was not only flat but actually the face of a cylinder, suspended in space due to its equal distance from other things. Also, of course, the Sun and the Moon are hollow rings filled with fire. The light we see from them is from that fire, through a vent that closes on things such as eclipses and the phases of the moon.
So research and the scientific method has come a long way. Now, only some of us believe the earth is flat. Which iwould be an improvement were it not for the fact that number appears to be growing. Honestly, my biggest takeaway here is the vents thing. Why were there vents? I have so many questions. I think I’d go back in time and ask him were it not for the language barrier.
Another sidenote as if this post isn’t just one sidenote after another. This time, about my favorite “first” in science and research. The first psychological experiment. It wasn’t that guy who wanted to fuck his mom (this is the sound of me resisting the urge to bitch about Freud) it was actually – say it with me now – Pharaoh Psamtik I. Stop me if you know this one, but this dude wanted to know what humans’ innate language was. So, of course, he got two babies, gave them to a remote shepard who was not to talk to them, and waited until they developed language. The Psammetichus experiment is considered the first in psychology. In that it’s about the brain but also in that it uses one of psychology’s core principles: being a dick to children.
Did you know: Sigmund Freud’s grandson was one of the suspects in the infamous (at least in Britain) Madeleine Mccann case. Also a convicted nonce. He is now in hell (source: I know this shit. Me and Lucifer go way back.)
Application of research
I won’t deep dive into the practical applications of research as I believe those have been spoken about a lot elsewhere by those much smarter than I. I will say, however, I studied both psychology and statistics in college so the terms “qualitative”, “qualtitative”, and “scientific method” are burned into my memory in colored gel pens on white index cards.
As for my own application of research, here is my process:
- Obtain a topic I want to know more about (or have to know more about if it’s for work or school)
- Obsess over said topic, reading everything I can find
- Plan a post that includes all my sources, is well structured and thought out
- Disregard the plan and smash out all the brain thoughts I have
- Drastically edit the mess I have created to give it back some structure, checking facts and adding in sources for areas where the appropriate source is otherwise “trust me, bro”
- Profit ???
Did you know: According to the top Google result the UK education system is “female: 99%.” This proves two things: my experience at a girls’ school is apparently the only education we have and that research and critical thinking matter.
Research as a societal good
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: knowing shit is good. A major problem with the world is we don’t know shit. We have people believing the earth is flat (when it’s clearly a cylinder), we have folks arguing with elections, and people thinking American food is better than British food. If everyone had a tendency to fall down a (imperically backed by reliable sources) rabbit hole every now and again I think the world would be a better place, I really do. If critical thinking was taught more widely, if people put in more effort so as not to spread misinformation. Oh well, a gal can dream.
Peace out.
Tabbie
Sauces
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research – as a guide for further research
https://www.oed.com/dictionary/research_v1
Mustard (Bonus points: it’s yellow)
https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/astronauts/#:~:text=The%20term%20%E2%80%9Castronaut%E2%80%9D%20derives%20from,bound%20for%20orbit%20and%20beyond.
https://www.oxforddnb.com/display/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-12517
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A02779.0001.001/1:5?rgn=div1;view=fulltext
https://www.britannica.com/question/When-did-science-begin
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thales-of-Miletus
https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100351903
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/clement-freud-national-treasure-just-a-minute-paedophile-mp-a7083976.html
https://www.oxforddnb.com/display/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-12523#odnb-9780198614128-e-12523
Wandering witch.boo 