‘Survey’: needless despoilment of a traditional research term
John F. Gaski
University of Notre Dame
Introduction
Although humanity’s scientific progress and the advancement of knowledge over the millennia may seem relentless, world history also offers examples of knowledge lost. The consequences of the Roman Empire’s fall and subsequent Dark Ages would be the most familiar archetype. Think of Hellenic culture, Roman engineering or almost any technical knowledge (in the western world) that existed before the Middle Ages. Consider concrete, which became a nearly dormant substance for more than 1,000 years after having been perfected by Ancient Rome. Or...