This book is about research. Not research in any one fieldâsocial sciences, psychology, chemistry, theology, mathematicsâbut research as research, across all fields. It is about the practical realities encountered in all kinds of research. It is about what lies at the foundations of these realities in all research fields, which are often taken for granted.
This book is about problems that challenge all fields, though manifested differently in each, many being hidden but which we feel intuitively.
Much has been written about research in this or that field, but little on research as such. Why? Is it because approaches that suit one field do not suit other fields and, moreover, because this unsuitability is presumed to be fundamental? Is it because researchers in different fields do not understand each other but divide into camps?
People may think that what is meaningful and rational in one field is meaningless in anotherâfor example physical concepts and laws in physics are usually of little interest in social science, while social factors are usually excluded from physical theories. Yet my own fields of information systems and environmental sustainability are interdisciplinary to a degree and so have built in me an awareness of a wide range of issues as potentially important and of interest across all fields.
This chapterâs sections are from the book title, in reverse order.
1â1. Adventures With Dooyeweerdâs Philosophy
Why has this book appeared? For two reasons.
The motivational reason: As I have carried out my research, I have discovered a âpearl of great priceâ, which I want to share. The âpearlâ has proven not only beautiful but also valuable over the last 25 years and has made sense retrospectively of the 25 years before I discovered it. The pearl is Dooyeweerdâs philosophy. I want people to examine it to decide for themselves what it is worth.
The intellectual and practical reason: Research is fascinating, and I have found Dooyeweerdâs philosophy enriches it. Research is important, and I have found that Dooyeweerdâs philosophy can make research more effective. Research areas are fragmented, and I have found Dooyeweerdâs philosophy can provide some integration. Philosophy underlies research but often seems irrelevant, yet Dooyeweerd offers philosophy that approaches things in an eminently practical way. There are serious problems in philosophy, whether pre-modern, modern or postmodern, that I believe Dooyeweerd addresses, offering foundations that differ intrinsically from those offered by many philosophers. I have found Dooyeweerdâs philosophy can also be used as a conceptual tool and provide guidance, especially in directing research into healthy directions.
Readers who have not read the Preface may find it helpful to do so here, because it outlines the chronology of my âadventures with Dooyeweerdâs philosophyâ and how the value of Dooyeweerd was opened up.
Throughout my life as a reflective practitioner and as researcher, I have felt, rather than crisply identified, problems. I have learned that such feelings often do indicate real, but hidden, issues, and that Dooyeweerdâs philosophy in particular has helped me to crystallise them. It was the problem of diversity in fields, in both scholarship and practice, that initially led me to Dooyeweerd (see Preface). The first idea of his that I encountered was his suite of aspects, with which I could understand that diversity and see how it is meaningful as a symphonic harmony. I discovered that he allows us to approach researchâand indeed everyday lifeâfrom a radically different perspective. For instance, Realism and Anti-realism, so long presumed to be in opposition, are but part of a more nuanced, diverse and yet cohering reality (see §6â1). Quantitative and qualitative research, so often separated, come together in Dooyeweerd (§6â3.4, §11â7).
This book recounts my adventures with Dooyeweerdâs philosophy in several fields of research, especially information systems and sustainability, along with adventures some others have had.
Of course, I am biased; each treasures their own pearls and those pearls might not appeal to others. However, I wish to bequeath the pearl of Dooyeweerd to those who might value it. Though I lay out the benefits that I and others have found Dooyeweerdâs philosophy can bring to research, this is not an apologia for it; Chapter 12 discusses criticisms of Dooyeweerd. I believe that Dooyeweerdâs philosophy can bring genuine and unique benefit to research. I also believe there are limitations, but that these cannot be found merely by philosophic criticism, but only by seriously applying his philosophy. So this book is not a critical discussion of the philosophy as such, but an invitation to try the ideas out, so that they will be tested within research. Only then can real critical evaluation of Dooyeweerdâs ideas begin.
Though Dooyeweerdâs ideas are introduced and discussed in the book, readers are invited to dwell in them for a time, to see what issues emerge. It will turn out that issues emerge that are often overlooked or seem peripheral whereas Dooyeweerd makes them central. Thus readers might find this book useful, not only for their research but also for their teaching and their research supervision.
Who for? Researchers in any fieldâmathematics, physics, biology, psychology, linguistics, languages, philosophy, sociology, organisational sciences, economics and management, the arts, jurisprudence, ethics, theology, and many more. Though perhaps unreasonable according to C.P. Snowâs Two Cultures, the modern idea of rationality-driven progress, or the postmodern questioning of grand narratives, I have found that Dooyeweerd offers basic understandings in each field, sufficient to be able to make sense within it and take an interest. Readers are assumed to know something about research but not necessarily philosophy.
This is not a book about philosophy as such, but what might be called âapplied philosophyâ. As such, it includes an explanation of Dooyeweerdâs philosophy that I hope will interest philosophical as well as scientific researchers. It may be seen as a handbook for researchers who wish to join the adventure.
- Part I shows the direction in which research with Dooyeweerd tends to head, respecting everyday pre-theoretical experience, diversity, coherence and meaningfulness, and it explains the historical context of Dooyeweerdâs philosophy.
- Part II discusses the core of research, theoretical thought. It examines Dooyeweerdâs transcendental critique of theoretical thought to draw out a deeper understanding of this than most philosophy offers, which, paradoxically, offers a very practical basis for understanding fields, discourses, paradigms, and ideas and can tackle thorny issues like progress.
- Part III furnishes researchers with practical tools and understanding to undertake research using Dooyeweerd. It recounts actual experience of using Dooyeweerd in research, by this author and others, which has surprised me by its extent.
- Part IV is a call to join the adventure with eyes wide open, so as to learn together what benefits Dooyeweerd might bring and where he is to be avoided.