Question

Discuss the application of assigned biblical principles for this week (Ecclesiastes 1:13 and Proverbs 18:15) to graduate research. 250 words or more.

Answer 1

Graduate research is a discipline where the focus is on various research objectives, methodologies, tools, and systems. It encompasses not only the quantitative approaches but also the philosophic approaches such as research ethics, morality, etc.

The first verse from the bible (Ecclesiastes 1:13) talks about the knowledge that people seek. It states that we try to understand everything that we can, given the wisdom that we have. However, in doing so we often face difficulty, burden, and knowledge that we feel were better not understood. This is a burden every research student must acknowledge. We seek knowledge but along with (perceived) good knowledge, comes the bad ones. First of all, searching for knowledge is difficult and when we acquire we often realize that God has made this system of research difficult to achieve and it keeps us busy. It is a cyclical occurrence of hunger for knowledge and acknowledgement that it is not enough.

The second verse (Proverbs 18:15) is merely a supporting statement to the first one. This too speaks about knowledge but it speaks in a more functional tone. It basically says that sensible people wants to learn. People who has responsible and are keen to impact the surroundings in a positive way can be called sensible. These people tend to keep their ears open and their heart enjoys learning new things and acquiring knowledge.

Both these verses are focused on getting us prepared functionally. It wants to make us keen to learn but at the same time it cautions us that, as a research student we may often find something that we didn’t want to know. Then we would need to decide what to do next in a responsible way.