RESEARCH METHODOLOGY -1
Our research is strictly evidence-based
To understand the origin of the cosmos and its multitude of wonders, we need an objective way of gathering & analysing evidence. The 'scientific method' is a particularly powerful tool: observations are connected together by a hunch (or 'hypothesis'); the predictions are tested through repeated experiment by independent researchers; and the initial hypothesis is confirmed or refuted, generating further hunches to be investigated by similar means.
But some aspects of origins are not entirely accessible to the methods of science in practice. For example, if we are going to study the emergence of a particular ancient civilisation, we may have to rely heavily on written records. Of course, the fact that we cannot test something by experimental science does not mean that it did not happen. Nevertheless, we need good evidence to have any degree of certainty; and many ancient records amount to nothing more than story- telling, when judged by modern eyes at least.
These difficulties are acute when the assumptions of science do not hold, even in principle. For example, to have a complete understanding of the origin of the cosmos, we must be able to explain the origin of the laws that governed the initial conditions. Even the elusive 'Theory of Everything' assumes such laws, and so does not provide any ultimate explanation.
