Arthur Dent's voyage into the unknown somewhat harnesses the tie-in between subjective experience and empirical truths, according to Comte's (see Wikipedia ~ Positivism for very general description) view of Positivism and it's cyclic nature. One man traveling the universe in his pajamas and dressing gown, trying to make sense of things based on the limited experience he has had on an earth that is now non-existent. Arthur struggles to break things down into their simplest, understandable pieces, somewhat in the frame of reductionists trying to reduce everything into an ultimately measurable form.
The series also touches on the idea that we may have trouble understanding the world around us, 'cause we are part of the actual workings of the universe. Arthur, was the last remaining part of the super computer known as earth. If you are part of the search for the solution, you may never fully understand the actual problem. Possibly... Thus, as researchers, how do we view ourselves, within the whole structure of the inquiry? Do our actions actually change the results? Or even our non-participatory role, may influence unforeseen elements???
Accounting for variables is inherent in scientific method, but can those variables truly be eliminated? Viewing methods have their limitations, and often when we try to account for those variables, we rely on hypothesis and theory to create models of behavior that would occur according to rational thought. Back to Comte again and his cyclic view of things.
However, if theorists such as Emile Hennequin (Wikipedia - Positivism) who included subjectivity into the equation, were to look beyond just the empirical data, they mind find answers that are more creative, but still understand that they are still based on certain assumptions...
Do I make any sense?
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