Research Writings…

I admit that I have not read that much “research writing”, so it took me some time to think of a piece to use as an example. However, of the little that I have read, I do remember one piece that I read some time ago. It is a somewhat (in)famous essay by Aldous Huxley (the author of Brave New World) called The Doors of Perception. The essay is a first-hand account of the experience of taking the drug mescaline. Huxley describes everything that he sees, feels and experiences while under the drug. From what I recall, it very was descriptive and engaging. It was giving an insider's look into something that most of us would not try. It was also very reflective. Huxley not only related his experience, but also discussed points on the wider implications and uses of his mescaline trip.


Overall, the essay was very interesting for providing an account of a unique experience, but it was also a good example of critical analysis of personal research. Even though Huxley himself was the one who experienced the mescaline trip, he is still able to examine his own observations critically, and relate them to his audience without trying to convince that his experience was profound or ultimately necessary. I feel that it is a responsible idea for a researcher to not “advertise” or embellish their experiments to make them more appealing to the reader. I think that Huxley accomplished that in The Doors of Perception.


An example of fiction writing that I believe exemplifies research qualities is the Dune series by Frank Herbert. If you are not familiar with the series, it is a science fiction story that takes place in the far distant future of humanity; all “thinking machines” have been outlawed, and a unique society has grown out of this technological and cultural change.


Where I find qualities of research writing in Dune is in the details of the different groups that inhabit this world. For example, there are the Bene Gesserit, who are an order of women who have mastery over many different mental powers, but particularly over the power of observation. They are almost telepathic in their ability to read the actions of others in order to understand their thoughts. This is an interesting idea that relates to research observation in psychology. The book is taking the idea of clinical observation to an extreme, by suggesting that powers of observation could be used as a mind-reading super-power. Also, the protagonist of the first book has to gain the trust of an isolated, nomadic people on the eponymous desert planet of Dune. He becomes a sort of ethnographer as he tries to understand their culture (which has a surprising origin) in order to use them to his advantage. Both of these examples have characters using research techniques, but in a more “space-opera” setting.


There are many different themes touched on in the books, and it is considered one of the landmark works of science fiction. And it is also one of my favourite books (I have read the first book in the series several times).