APPROACHES IN RESEARCH

There are ways of making observations with objectivities. 

This can be applied to anything - a statement, a proverb, a definition, a fact, etc. 

You can derive information which is held by the simple-looking statement by a series of investigations of that statement.  You have to change your focus and stand-point and the angle of perspective.  There may be several focal points in a statement.  Your system of digging out facts from innocent looking statement demands concentration. 

I don’t think many of you would remember.....

Several years ago, may be thirty years plus - there was a TV series. 

This was called 'Colombo'.

The hero of the series was an investigator called Lt. Colombo.

He is an irritating character.  While watching him, you will get irritated.

But his capabilities and talent really lies in the manner in which he irritates the other characters with silly-sounding, annoying questions. He would ask many such questions.  While questioning, he would meddle with things which are in the room, hall, kitchen, etc.  After a long session of such questioning and meddling with things he would leave. Before reaching the door, he would turn around and ask some question which would seem trivial. 

He would go out.

Just as the other characters just try to take a break, pressing their fore-heads, etc, he would knock on the door.  When opened, he would ask another simple-looking, irritating, irrelevant looking question.

Well......

He did get at facts and deductions which other people missed.

If you really want to be a very good researcher, you have to be like Lt. Colombo on and off.

Then you can really see what others would miss. 

And you can derive many other details from simple statements and facts. 

May be I should give a few examples.....?