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From: sarge@thirdi.UUCP (Sarge Gerbode)
Newsgroups: sci.philosophy.tech
Subject: Re: What is a methodology
Message-ID: <91@thirdi.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 13-Aug-87 13:59:50 EDT
Article-I.D.: thirdi.91
Posted: Thu Aug 13 13:59:50 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 15-Aug-87 10:31:49 EDT
References: <850@klipper.cs.vu.nl>
Reply-To: sarge@thirdi.UUCP (Sarge Gerbode)
Distribution: world
Organization: Institute for Research in Metapsychology
Lines: 28
Keywords: methods means purpose methodology
Summary: It's a set of methods.

In article <850@klipper.cs.vu.nl> biep@cs.vu.nl (J. A. "Biep" Durieux) writes:
>A methodology is a set of rules that (in the ideal case) determine the
>conduct of a scientist following it in the face of the facts and currect
>hypotheses and theories of the (scientific) discipline the methodology
>(and the scientist) is about.
>
>[Biep goes on at great length with specifics.]

It seems that Biep is getting awfully complex, here.  Is there really a
difference between methods and methodology?  Doesn't the "methodology" of a
particular science, or of any activity, consist of a set of systematic
methods for achieving the goals of that activity?

The "methodology" of any activity seems to me to be simply the means used to
accomplish the purposes of that activity.  So painting has a methodology; so
does making love (at least you can buy books about it!).

The methodologies of science, then, would consist of the means used in
discovering empirical truths.  The methodologies of philosophy would consist
of the means used to discover non-empirical truths. 
-- 
"Absolute knowledge means never having to change your mind."

Sarge Gerbode
Institute for Research in Metapsychology
950 Guinda St.
Palo Alto, CA 94301
UUCP:  pyramid!thirdi!sarge