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<p>Thus when mothers have chidren suffering from sleeplessness, and want to lull them to rest, the treatment they apply is to give them, not quiet, but motion, for they rock them constantly in their arms;  and instead of silence, they use a kind of crooning noise;  and thus they literally cast a spell upon the children (like the victims of a Bacchic frenzy) by employing the combined movements of dance and song as a remedy.</p>

<p>Thus when mothers have children suffering from sleeplessness, and want to lull them to rest, the treatment they apply is to give them, not quiet, but motion, for they rock them constantly in their arms;  and instead of silence, they use a kind of crooning noise;  and thus they literally cast a spell upon the children (like the victims of a Bacchic frenzy) by employing the combined movements of dance and song as a remedy.</p>

<p>&mdash; Plato, ''Laws'', VII, 790D</p>

<p>&mdash; Plato, ''Laws'', VII, 790D</p>

There is already a model of inquiry that is implicit, at least partially, in the text of the above description.  Let me see if I can tease out a few of its tacit assumptions.

There is already a model of inquiry that is implicit, at least partially, in the text of the above description.  Let me see if I can tease out a few of its tacit assumptions.

I am using the word "inquiry" in a way that is roughly synonymous with the term "scientific method".  Use of "inquiry" is more convenient, aside from being the shorter term, because of the following advantages: (1) It allows one to broaden the scope of investigation to include any form of proceeding toward knowledge that merely aims at such a method.  (2) It allows one to finesse the issue, for the time being, of how much "method" there is in science.

I am using the word ''inquiry'' in a way that is roughly synonymous with the term ''scientific method''.  Use of ''inquiry'' is more convenient, aside from being the shorter term, because of the following advantages:

This subdivision and the next deal with opposite aspects of inquiry.  In many ways it might have been better to interlace the opposing points of comparison, taking them up in a parallel fashion, but this plan was judged to be too distracting for a first approach.  In other ways, the negative sides of each topic are prior in point of time to the positive sides of the issue, but sensible people like to see the light at the end of the tunnel before they trouble themselves with the obscurities of the intervening journey.  Thus, this subdivison of the text emphasizes the positive features of inquiry and the positive qualities of its objective, while the next subdivision is reserved to examine the negative aspects of each question.

 

This subdivision and the next deal with opposite aspects of inquiry.  In many ways it might have been better to interlace the opposing points of comparison, taking them up in a parallel fashion, but this plan was judged to be too distracting for a first approach.  In other ways, the negative sides of each topic are prior in point of time to the positive sides of the issue, but sensible people like to see the light at the end of the tunnel before they trouble themselves with the obscurities of the intervening journey.  Thus, this subdivision of the text emphasizes the positive features of inquiry and the positive qualities of its objective, while the next subdivision is reserved to examine the negative aspects of each question.

In the order of nature, the absence of a feature naturally precedes the full development of its presence.  In the order of discussion, however, positive terms must be proposed if it is desired to say anything at all.  The discussion in this subdivision is placed to serve a primer, declaring at least the names of enough positive concepts to propose addressing the negative conditions of knowledge in which inquiry necessarily starts.

In the order of nature, the absence of a feature naturally precedes the full development of its presence.  In the order of discussion, however, positive terms must be proposed if it is desired to say anything at all.  The discussion in this subdivision is placed to serve a primer, declaring at least the names of enough positive concepts to propose addressing the negative conditions of knowledge in which inquiry necessarily starts.