Observation and Priorities

• While it seems a meaningless truism that observation is necessary to analysis, nothing in epistemology is ever that simple. Modern philosophers, especially in the postmodernist school, reject the idea that there is anything called "observation" pure and simple. You must know what an "apple" is before you know you see one. You grow up, you are socialized, you come to believe some things are more important than others. This means, for any analysis, you bring these prejudices with you.
  
  

Observation and Practicality

• The best way to understand observation in analysis is to see it not so much as making claims to "know" something, but rather to solve specific problems. Let us say you are studying the stock market. You have come to believe that panic selling of stock comes from media reports of imminent economic downturns or inflation hikes. You hear about this theory, smart people believe it, you come to believe it. The problem develops when "Forbes" magazine claims a depression is right around the corner, you then immediately assume that everyone will begin to "panic sell" their stocks. You then do the same.
  
  

Observation and Faith

• Panic selling is a real world example of the importance of observation. While it is true that smart people believe this to be the case, using this as evidence to immediately sell your stock when "Forbes" speaks of a coming depression is another matter. Observation in analysis demands that you study whether or not this connection is true: whenever a major publication warns of imminent economic danger, major players in the market begin to unload stocks and move into bonds. This cannot be assumed. What needs to be done is direct research into periods when stocks were quickly unloaded. This is the significance of actual observation.
  
  

Observation and Truth

• Observation is not about knowledge per se. Analysis needs theory, vision, a framework and a set of priorities about what counts as a useful and "good" observation and what is an irrelevant or "bad" observation. This must be understood prior to actual observation in research taking place. Therefore, observation, in itself, tells us nothing. However, observation must occur in order to decide whether the theory you are worried about is correct or generally useful in making decisions, or whether the theory is based on prejudice. Observation, while not perfect in itself, can keep you from making decisions based on faith or authority only.