Memo+16+Methodological,+Empirical,+Theoretical+and+Practical+Contributions


 * Methodological**
 * I will be using comparative study to build my case, a method which is under utilized.
 * Also, this project will be one of the first integrations between cognitive science and science studies, as it is an STS project utilizing cultural cognition.
 * I may be making a novel contribution to histiography, but I don't know enough about it yet to be certain. Either way it seems that I will certainly be using it.
 * Theoretical**
 * This project addresses the knowledge gap in the construction of Western science. It acknowledges that some of the roots of institutionalized science lie within the activities of social groups who are generally credited with making little to no beneficial contributions to society.
 * This case study can be used to provide additional support to discussions of lay contributions to scientific knowledge; it also makes a significant contribution to the study of experts/expertise and how expertise relates to Western science practices.
 * Perhaps one of the largest contributions that this study provides is an analysis of the ways in which technology can shape and alter lives. The sociology of technology is underdeveloped in comparison to the sociology of science and this project will add to that body of literature.
 * Empirical**
 * Since the communities I am studying were of mixed ethniticities and cultures and had close contact with indigenous peoples, these knowledge networks have added a distinctly non-Western perspective to the development of modern science. Continue exploration of these areas is necessary in order to achieve a better understanding of science and to appropriately direct both science and technological momentum.
 * Will generate new information on how marginalized social groups can impact technological and scientific momentum.
 * Practical**
 * The rise of piracy and its impact on government and trade further demonstrates the ways in which access to technology can allow a politically insignificant class to become an influential economic force.