ABSTRACT
Research needs to be understood in relation to everyday experience because it is embedded within it, the theoretical within the pre-theoretical, and everyday experience is diverse in meaningfulness. This chapter investigates diversity and its counterpart, coherence, and is about diversity and about coherence in and of this diversity, often known under the ambiguous term "complexity". It briefly overviews how various philosophies have dealt with diversity, and introduces Herman Dooyeweerd’s view. The chapter introduces Dooyeweerd’s suite of aspects as the main conceptual tool he offers us for navigating complexities and explains his understanding of the relationships among aspects, which express their coherence. It discusses how Dooyeweerd’s understanding relates to research activity, research application, and research content. Relationships often express a rationality, which is different in each aspect, and each aspect enables a distinct kind of relationship.
