There are many different methods of enquiry for example analytic-deductive systems thinking and inductive-consensual provide a short critique of three different methods of enquiry techniques?

Answer 1

Meaning of Enquiry - The action of seeking for truth, knowledge or information concerning something; search, research, investigation, examination Enquiry Systems * Simple Systems * ** Inductive - Consensual ** Analytic - Deductive * Complex Systems * ** Dialectic ** Multiple Realities * Innovative Systems * ** Unbounded Systems Thinking Inductive - Consensual EnquiryBasically Inductive Consensual enquiry derives the conclusions on the basis of the limited set of observations like analogue, historical observations and multiple independent sources. This method is used when the case is not too complex and the conclusions can be derived easily from the previous experiences. This enquiry derives a conclusion from a limited set of observations, which may be: * Analogous o for example, the situation is a bit simpler than this one, but a little more complicated than that one * historical * ** for example, in the past, the answer has always been such-and-such, within these tolerances * multiple independently sourced * ** for example, an average derived from a group of experts Advantage of Inductive-Consensual Enquiry

Advantage of Inductive-Consensual Enquiry is simple, quick to draw a conclusion and most of the time the conclusion is a usually a single number, a fixed strategy, or a single course of action. Disadvantage of Inductive-Consensual Enquiry

Disadvantage of Inductive-Consensual Enquiry is that there is a possibility that the conclusion drawn could be subjective and that most of the problems encountered these days have multiple answers. They both share the fallacy that the definition of the problem itself is unproblematic, when in fact it is making this very definition: * What question are we asking? * What question should we be asking? Which is the heart of the problem itself. System thinking enquiry Systems thinking is a unique approach to problem solving in that it views certain "problems" as parts of an overall system. It recognizes that everything is connected to everything else.

This mode of thinking might be applied to Global Warming. Rather than defining the "problem" to be "too much CO2 in the atmosphere," a systems thinker would recognize that warming of the atmosphere is the result of many interacting processes. A systems thinker would also recognize that the Earth is part of a larger system involving the Sun and other galactic components. An open-minded systems thinker might even do enough inquiry to discover that cosmic rays have much more influence on atmospheric warming than CO2 does.

A "disadvantage" of this mode of inquiry is that it doesn't often lend itself to describing problems in terms of "sound bites." A limitation is that we often don't know all of the connections and interactions within a system or between the system and its context. The required research must often be done in a multi-disciplinary fashion, not easy in a world where people tend to specialize.

The advantage is that we often find solutions to problems that are long-lasting (permanent), and sometimes quite simple. We can stop wasting resources on things that don't work and leave people worse off than they were.

Answer 2

1. Analytic-deductive systems thinking can be criticized for its rigid structure and assumption of a linear cause-and-effect relationship, which may not always reflect the complex, dynamic nature of real-world systems.

2. Inductive-consensual methods may lack objectivity, as they rely heavily on subjective interpretations and consensus among participants, which could lead to bias or skewed results.

3. Participatory action research can be critiqued for its potential for power imbalances between researchers and participants, impacting the validity and ethics of the research process.