In my blog this week I would like to look at our Neuman reading with regard to Historical- Comparative Research. I thought this chapter was pretty good and went relatively fast. However, I have to admit it is not my most favorite aspect of research. (Then again I don’t have enough under my belt to make that claim I guess…J) Rather I would like to bring up a portion of the book’s chapter ( and our learning object) which raises an enormous strength of H-C Research regardless of your opinion on it.

By this, I mean patterns. Everything about life has some sort of micro/ macro scale pattern to it. That is its DNA, sequence, or defining structure. As a matter of fact, patterns are the only thing we as humans may deduce the term reality to be. The real power in H-C research may be the actual output of the research. I mean, one very well may be able to discover theory, knowledge, or some other attribute of social context in H-C Research. However, it is what may not be said explicitly in H-C that could yield a much more powerful result. Patterns of life. The way we go about everything in our daily life is predicated upon by some pattern or another. Most likely this type of pattern is common. That is, we do it because we are used to it. However, what if one observed a completely different pattern in a different context and applied it as a substitution to a commonly used pattern in our daily life or solving a problem?

I know (like usual) this blog may sound ridiculous, off- the- wall, blah, blah… However, my point of all this is to say if we observe patterns of output from H-C Research (or any other observable pattern output) we may be able view everything though a different guise. That is, if one actually disciplines themselves to sit and physically feel this output pattern (think it through and how it may be implied), it could prove very powerful for the human intellect.  And I’m out.

-Rick Awesome