These often chaotic free-associative literary approaches, while conducive to individual showcases of erudition and certain degree of flair in now and again elucidating the Big picture, far more often than not render the written STM scholarship unbearably tedious and, in effect, inaccessible to a non-specialist reader. More importantly, such 'freestyle' scholarship is largely incongruent with the process of educating scientists, medics and technologists, by failing to impart with any structural integrity a comprehensive historical narrative of the birth (or evolution), analytical foundations and significance of a given scientific, technological or medical development.  

In as much as a settled methodical structurally lucid style of STM historical analysis is key to facilitating effective accessibility of relevant scholarship, keenness of comprehension and invention aptitude for any scientist, medic or technologist, following standard methodology heuristic is proposed. (3)   

  I  Description

     1.  Chronology 
     2.  Content
     3.  Foundation
     4.  Methodology 

  II  Relation

  III Analysis

     1. Errors and Omissions 
     2. Alternatives 

  IV Commentary
 

Description of a STM development subject of historical analysis should begin with a short statement of chronology - placing distinct scrutinized product of knowledge in light of civilization's timeline, with known temporal orientation in light of preceding and subsequent developments. When appropriate, a brief I-owe-you note of apparent temporal or conceptual imprecision is sufficient; due to the process nature of many a STM development, distinct identification and orientation in time of all significant elements may require elaboration in the Relation, Analysis and Commentary sections.

Content section follows with an adequately detailed statement of subject matter development. A non-technical summary may precede, the more rigorous description to follow. 

Foundation section, in turn, shall serve to illuminate all identifiable significant then existing or assumed developments, admixture to which of identifiable logical processes, events of natural, accidental, or experimental nature, human insight or intuition immediately preceded coming about of subject development. It is, essentially, a descriptive building blocks catalog, offering clarification of the givens and leading to culmination of insights into the nuts and bolts of 'how' of both chance technical and conceptual innovations and man's purposeful ingenuity, addressed in the Methodology.

Methodology section, finally, (and where purposeful observation, reasoning, action upon or manipulation of building elements is surmised) spells out key identifiable logical processes, procedures and additional elements of natural, accidental or experimental nature, human insight or intuition immediately preceding coming about of subject development. It is the section of enlightening 'Tao of How' in coming about of a new product of knowledge. It is not likely to be trivially deterministic, but rather clarifying and insightful.

Relation chapter shall further outline gleaned coherent relationship of subject development to those perceived as connectedly preceding and following. It may impart further understanding of comparative, evolutionary and facilitative interdependence of meaningfully related products of knowledge. (4)

Analysis chapter partitions domain for the critical analytical discourse on both -- any potential errors and omissions, and alternative considerations (5)  -- globally scrutinizing building blocks, procedural and analytical foundations of any given product of knowledge. 

Commentary chapter will conclude historical analysis of an STM development by augmenting the outlined form of substantive analysis with poignant less immediate and interdisciplinary considerations brought to bear for a fuller realization and desired accentuation of varied aspects of subject's significance.
 

Instant format is proposed not by form of a straight jacket, but as a vital modicum of literary and cognitive discipline in the vastly expanding field in dire need of means of efficient and comprehensive accessibility for generations of scientists, technologists and medics to come.  It allows for an intellectually disciplined manner of presentation and realization of often already technical and complex material - a valued asset to both scholar and student alike.
 
 

      Dr. Igor Leonidovich Mestman
      Nikita University RIIC-STM* 
     August 9, 2001

   
  Footnotes referenced in parenthesis, supra: 

  1. Science, technology and medicine selectively abbreviated to STM.

  2. Be it a new significant conceptualization or realization, theory of set phenomena interrelations framed in existing conceptualizations, process of making, or artifact of mechanical invention. 'Development' here is utilized broadly to stand for any clearly identified product of knowledge -theoretical, procedural, physical.

  3. Pressing need of this form of S.T.M. historical analysis is obviated by geometric rate of growth of accumulated products of knowledge, otherwise surely deemed to become mere facts in a progressively impenetrable annals of historic jungle of documented progress.

  4. So, for instance, described relationship between preceding developments of naval astro-navigation and known consistent properties of ferromagnetic orientation of a needle on water surface may further coherent understanding of original naval compass, and subsequent developments compensating for later discovered ocean floor magnetospheric shift anomalies.

  5. I.e.- considerations of potential alternative elements, methods, logic, allocations of content significance, insights, intuitions or realms of exploration.

 * Nikita University Research Institute of International Cooperation in Science, Technology & Medicine Research Foundation -- http://augustian.tripod.com/RESEARCH.htm

@ Sapere-Aude Copyright 2001
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