Polymathese

     There are two basic levels of research:  Primary research and Secondary research.  Primary research is conducted in the field or in the laboratory and the results of this research are published in peer-reviewed primary research journals or books. Secondary research is conducted by reading, collating, coordinating, and analyzing the results of the primary research as it is published in the primary journals or other venues.          

     The  fundamental tool of secondary research is the research synthesis which is a structured investigation of a narrowly defined topic based on the primary research publications.  Each research synthesis is carefully designed so that only a selected portion of the primary research publications are included.  

   Usually, the criteria for inclusion in the secondary study are based on a predetermined standard of accuracy, precision, scientific rigor, or size of the statistical universe of the study.  So, in many social-science studies, for example, up to 90% of the available research may be discarded because the primary research was not double-blind or placebo-controlled, or the universe was too small to be valid, or the statistical model was inadequate, or the researchers did not include enough details about their methodology.

     A syncretic research synthesis, however, imposes no restrictions on the data it includes.  It samples all of the available sources of information indiscriminately and arrives at its conclusions without prejudice, relying solely upon the rigor of the method itself to lead us to the truth.

     The publications, A/V materials, and YouTube videos we produce are based on a large-scale independent syncretic research synthesis spanning 21 years (so far) and covering every major category of knowledge that we humans have amassed in our 1.9-million year history.  We will continue to add to our source materials and update the Bibliography as we move forward with the project.

     Use the short bibliography below to learn more about the principles of research that we use.  For more in-depth study, please consult the detailed bibliography located in the box to the right.

     

     

 

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