Assumptive Extrapolation: A Powerful Methodological Alternative to Husserl's Phenomenological Reduction

In the earlier years of my research career, I was intrigued by Husserl's Phenomenological Reduction as a methodological approach. Phenomenological reduction involves suspending or setting aside one's preconceptions and assumptions about the world in order to approach things or phenomena in a more neutral and non-judgmental way.

The goal of phenomenological reduction is to allow one to focus on the essential features of a given phenomenon, rather than being distracted by extraneous or subjective aspects of it. By suspending one's assumptions and biases, the reduction enables a more direct and unmediated engagement with the phenomenon as it presents itself to consciousness.

However, sometimes assumptions and judgments are what matter most and they deserve to be the starting point of inquiry. Or, sometimes lived experiences are just not available to us. The phenomenological reduction approach, even though it is valuable, has several limitations. This made me think of a counter approach. Since the proposed approach starts with assumptions and then sets them aside, I will call it Assumptive Extrapolation.

Defining Assumptive Extrapolation

Assumptive extrapolation may be defined as a systematic method of analyzing assumptions and judgments to identify biases, challenge preconceptions, and explore potential implications and consequences.

The potential benefits of this approach are that it allows individuals to explore and analyze their assumptions and judgments in a systematic manner, which could help to identify biases, challenge preconceptions, and expand perspectives. Additionally, as mentioned above, this approach could be useful for exploring hypothetical scenarios or situations where direct experience is not possible.

Here are some potential steps that could be followed when using this method:

1. Identify the topic or question to be explored: The first step is to clearly identify the topic or question that you want to explore. This could be a hypothetical scenario, a real-world issue, or an area where you have pre-existing assumptions or judgments.
2. Identify your assumptions and judgments: The next step is to identify the assumptions and judgments that you hold about the topic or question. This could involve reflecting on your personal beliefs, biases, or prior knowledge that might be influencing your perspective.
3. Analyze your assumptions and judgments: Once you have identified your assumptions and judgments, the next step is to analyze them critically. This could involve questioning the validity of your assumptions, considering alternative perspectives, or examining the evidence that supports or challenges your judgments.
4. Extrapolate from your assumptions and judgments: After analyzing your assumptions and judgments, the next step is to extrapolate from them to explore the implications and consequences of your perspective. This could involve considering hypothetical scenarios, predicting future outcomes, or imagining how different actors or stakeholders might respond.
5. Evaluate your extrapolations: Finally, it's important to evaluate the validity and reliability of your extrapolations. This could involve testing your assumptions and judgments against real-world evidence, seeking feedback from others, or considering alternative extrapolations that might challenge your perspective.

Overall, the key to using assumptive extrapolation effectively is to engage in critical thinking and self-reflection, and to remain open to new perspectives and evidence that might challenge your assumptions and judgments.

The Climate Change Conundrum: An Example of a Real-World Problem and How this could be Addressed by Assumptive Extrapolation

A real-world problem that assumptive extrapolation could be used to help solve is climate change. Here is an example of how the approach could be applied:

Identify the topic or question to be explored: In this case, the topic is climate change, and the question is how we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the impacts of global warming.

Identify your assumptions and judgments: Some assumptions and judgments that individuals may hold about climate change include: a) that human activity is the primary cause of climate change; b) that reducing carbon emissions is the most effective way to mitigate climate change; and c) that renewable energy sources are the best alternative to fossil fuels.

Analyze your assumptions and judgments: To analyze these assumptions and judgments, individuals could consider questions such as: a) What evidence supports or challenges the claim that human activity is causing climate change? b) Are there other strategies besides reducing carbon emissions that could be effective in mitigating climate change? c) What are the limitations of renewable energy sources, and are there other potential alternatives that could be explored?

Extrapolate from your assumptions and judgments: Once individuals have analyzed their assumptions and judgments, they could extrapolate from them to explore potential solutions to climate change. For example, they could consider: a) What policy changes could be made to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as implementing carbon pricing or increasing incentives for renewable energy adoption? b) What technological advancements could be made to reduce carbon emissions, such as carbon capture and storage or nuclear fusion? c) What lifestyle changes could be made to reduce carbon emissions, such as reducing meat consumption or using public transportation?

Evaluate your extrapolations: Finally, individuals could evaluate the validity and reliability of their extrapolations by considering questions such as: a) What evidence supports or challenges the effectiveness of the proposed solutions? b) What are the potential unintended consequences or limitations of the proposed solutions? c) How might different stakeholders respond to the proposed solutions?

By applying the assumptive extrapolation approach to the problem of climate change, individuals can identify and challenge their assumptions and judgments, explore potential solutions, and evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of those solutions.

A Comparision of Phenomenological Reduction and Assumptive Extrapolation

A List of Research Problems in Business and Society that Could be Addressed by the Assumptive Extrapolation Method

1. Understanding consumer behavior and decision-making processes in the context of sustainability and ethical concerns: The assumptive extrapolation method could be appropriate for this problem because it allows researchers to explore how assumptions and judgments about sustainability and ethics might influence consumer behavior and decision-making processes.
2. Examining the impact of diversity and inclusion policies on organizational culture and performance: This method could be appropriate for this problem because it enables researchers to identify and analyze the assumptions and judgments that underlie diversity and inclusion policies and explore their implications for organizational culture and performance.
3. Investigating the role of technology in shaping the future of work and the labor market: The assumptive extrapolation method could be appropriate for this problem because it allows researchers to identify and extrapolate from assumptions and judgments about the impact of technology on work and the labor market, and explore the implications of these extrapolations for the future.
4. Analyzing the ethical and social implications of artificial intelligence and automation in business and society: This method could be appropriate for this problem because it enables researchers to identify and analyze assumptions and judgments about the ethical and social implications of artificial intelligence and automation, and explore their implications for business and society.
5. Exploring the challenges and opportunities of global supply chain management in a rapidly changing world: The assumptive extrapolation method could be appropriate for this problem because it allows researchers to identify and extrapolate from assumptions and judgments about the challenges and opportunities of global supply chain management, and explore the implications of these extrapolations for business and society.
6. Examining the impact of corporate social responsibility initiatives on stakeholder perceptions and behavior: This method could be appropriate for this problem because it enables researchers to identify and analyze assumptions and judgments that underlie corporate social responsibility initiatives, and explore their implications for stakeholder perceptions and behavior.
7. Investigating the ethical and social implications of digital marketing and advertising practices: The assumptive extrapolation method could be appropriate for this problem because it allows researchers to identify and extrapolate from assumptions and judgments about the ethical and social implications of digital marketing and advertising practices, and explore their implications for business and society.
8. Analyzing the role of entrepreneurship and innovation in addressing societal challenges and promoting sustainable development: This method could be appropriate for this problem because it enables researchers to identify and analyze assumptions and judgments about the role of entrepreneurship and innovation in addressing societal challenges and promoting sustainable development, and explore their implications for business and society.
9. Examining the impact of globalization and international trade on economic development and social welfare: The assumptive extrapolation method could be appropriate for this problem because it allows researchers to identify and extrapolate from assumptions and judgments about the impact of globalization and international trade on economic development and social welfare, and explore the implications of these extrapolations for business and society.
10. Investigating the ethical and social implications of emerging technologies such as gene editing, nanotechnology, and biotechnology: This method could be appropriate for this problem because it enables researchers to identify and analyze assumptions and judgments about the ethical and social implications of emerging technologies, and explore their implications for business and society.

Concluding Thoughts

While both approaches involve suspending preconceptions and biases, they differ in their focus and goals. Phenomenological Reduction is used to understand subjective experiences and reveal the essence of a phenomenon, while Assumptive Extrapolation is used to explore and analyze assumptions and judgments in a systematic manner.

One potential validity issue in the assumptive extrapolation method is the possibility of relying on inaccurate or incomplete assumptions or judgments, which can lead to faulty extrapolations and inaccurate conclusions. Another issue is the potential for cognitive biases to influence the analysis of assumptions and judgments, such as confirmation bias or availability bias, which can affect the accuracy and objectivity of the results. Additionally, the assumptive extrapolation method may not be suitable for exploring certain phenomena that require a direct and lived experience, or for cases where there are limited or no assumptions or judgments to start with.

In conclusion, both approaches can be useful for gaining insight and expanding perspectives, but they are better suited for different types of questions or scenarios.

Babu George, PhD