thumb|260px|right| Scholar and his books by Gerbrand van den EeckhoutScholarly method or
scholarship — is the body of principles and practices used by scholars to make their claims about the
world as valid and trustworthy as possible, and to make them known to the scholarly public.
Methods
Scholasticism originally started to reconcile the
philosophy of the ancient classical philosophers with medieval Christian theology. Scholasticism is not a philosophy or theology in itself but a tool and method for learning which places emphasis on
dialectical reasoning. The primary purpose of scholasticism is to find the answer to a question or to resolve a contradiction. It is most well-known for its application in medieval theology, but was eventually applied to classical philosophy and many other fields of study.
The
historical method comprises the techniques and guidelines by which
historians use
primary sources and other evidence to research and then to
write history. The question of the nature, and indeed the possibility, of sound historical method is raised in the
philosophy of history, as a question of
epistemology. History guidelines commonly used by historians in their work, require
external criticism,
internal criticism, and
synthesis.
The
empirical method is generally taken to mean the collection of data on which to base a
theory or derive a conclusion in
science. It is part of the
scientific method, but is often mistakenly assumed to be synonymous with other methods. The empirical method is not sharply defined and is often contrasted with the precision of experiments, where data are derived from the systematic manipulation of variables. The
experimental method investigates
causal relationships among
variables. An experiment is a cornerstone of the
empirical approach to acquiring data about the world and is used in both
natural sciences and
social sciences. An experiment can be used to help solve practical problems and to support or negate
theoretical assumptions.
The
scientific method refers to a body of
techniques for investigating
phenomena, acquiring new
knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. To be termed scientific, a method of
inquiry must be based on gathering
observable,
empirical and
measurable evidence subject to specific principles of
reasoning. A scientific method consists of the collection of
data through
observation and
experimentation, and the formulation and testing of
hypotheses.
See also
