A Subjective Approach to the Scientific Method

 A Subjective Approach to the Scientific Method

This essay proposes a radical paradigm shift in thinking, from the traditionally practiced, hypothesis driven- research data collection-research data analysis driven scientific method, to a richer and more comprehensive subjective approach to the scientific method. The subjective approach is proposed to complement and advance the traditional objective approach, in order to drive scientific research in the direction of asking more insightful original research questions, develop innovative research methods and implement more in-depth research  data analyses. The subjective approach aims to address human researcher centered cognitive biases, in other words anthropocentric cognitive  biases.

 The premise of the subjective approach is based on the Indian philosophical inquiry  field of Advaita Vedanta (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advaita_Vedanta ), which in the collected text format is available as the Upanisads (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upanishads ),  and the psychological practice of Raja-Yoga ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C4%81ja_yoga ) which is based on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.

For this essay, the philosophical premise of Advaita Vedanta is taken to be the perspective that the world of objects is a world of appearance which is everchanging and impermanent and is superimposed on an underlying all-pervasive substratum, which is the subjective observer. The psychological practice of Raja-Yoga is the intuitive understanding based on yogic experience of the human being as consisting of five koshas i.e.sheaths( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosha)superimposing on the individual self, the metaphysical I, which is a witness to the thought process. (Drg Drsya Viveka https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%E1%B9%9Bg-D%E1%B9%9B%C5%9Bya-Viveka ). These sheaths from the outside to the inside are, annamayakosha (food-sheath), pranamayakosha (vital-energy sheath), manomayakosha (mind i.e. recorder of perceptions sheath), vigyanmayakosha (intellect sheath), and anandamayakosha (bliss sheath). The practice of Raja-Yoga which incudes regulation of the prana in the pranamayakosha or  vital-energy sheath, regulates the erratic energy flow in the human body where a pre-conditioned mind predominates. A human mind trained by Raja-Yoga practice has balanced energy flow throughout the body, and is going through progressive stages of de-conditioning of priors. Such a deconditioned mind is  highly concentrated and is able to provide clearer insights into the objects it gives its attention to. Practioners of Raja-Yoga, do not succumb to erratic and compulsive behaviours, and possess  a calm analytical mind as opposed to a reactive mind.

In the following passages I have provided practical examples of how the practioners of the above philosophical inquiry method and  yogic practice may advance  the field of scientific research investigation, in the areas of:  asking insightful research questions, developing innovative research methods, implementing in-depth research data analysis, as well as addressing confirmation bias.

Asking more in-depth original research questions: A traditional hypothesis and/or data-driven researcher may ask the question, what is the reason that the leaf of a tree is green. The given answer is the leaf is green due to the pigment chlorophyll, which drives the photosynthesis process that manufactures, sugars from carbon dioxide and water in the presence of sunlight. A scientific researcher well-versed in the Advaita vedantic philosophical inquiry would ask the question, why does the leaf of a tree appear green to humans, as opposed to a cat seeing a grey leaf. Does the subject i.e, human perceptive apparatus, play a role in the outcome of the observation of a leaf appearing green? Is the green leaf observation an anthropocentric observation?

Implementing more in-depth research methods: A  traditional hypothesis and/or data-driven researcher may  shed light on the mechanism of how a leaf exchanges energy with its surroundings via biochemical investigative methods and tools. A scientific researcher well-versed with Raja-Yoga practice may implement an innovative  research method based on the observation that since both the subject i.e. human observer and the object i.e. the tree, exchanges energy with the surroundings, why is it that the human subject can self-regulate its inner vital-energy flow, as well as exchange air with its surroundings via breath, while a tree is dependent on an outer clean environment to provide air, sunlight and water to it. An innovative method can be implemented by such a researcher, who designs  a panel of external and internal parameters that differentially compares energy exchange and flow with respect to the object i.e. the tree and its environment, the human subject and its environment, as well as energy flow in the subject-object system i.e. human-tree sub- system and the human-tree-environment system 

In-depth Research Data Analyses:  A  traditional hypothesis and/or data-driven researcher may compare the patterns of similarities and dissimilarities , during bioinformatic analyses of gene sequences of closely evolutionarily related organisms. A scientific researcher well-versed in  Advaita vedantic philosophical inquiry would ask whether the patterns of similarities and/or dissimilarities that  appear via bioinformatic data analyses, are fixed/static or changing as an organism, adapts to its environment ? If the patterns are changing over time, then what is the time-scale over which old patterns disappear and new patterns appear? Thus the research database does not become a fixed entity, but an evolving one.

Addressing human researcher cognitive biases: A scientific researcher well-versed in Raja-Yoga practice, may question their own conditioned priors leading to cognitive biases, such as confirmation bias (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias ). For example if the researcher reads an article that confirms data from their own laboratory or confirms their hypothesis, since the researchers have evolved priors via Raja-Yoga practice  resulting in a  clearer less conditioned mind, the researcher may develop in-depth insights into the confirmatory research data or article and ask insightful original questions which furthers the research field.

So, from the above examples we can see that a subjective approach to the scientific method complements the traditional object driven approach by  advancing  science from a static body of facts, to an evolving dynamic entity contingent  on contextual perspectives.