What's a "field of inquiry"?

[robcranz]

I thought I could find a clear definition by searching Google, but I didn't find much. Can anybody explain what's a "field of inquiry"? Thanx!

 

[Rover_KE]

Welcome to the forum, Rob.

Please tell where you found this phrase, and quote at least the full sentence in which you read it.

 

[robcranz]

I found this phrase in a nonfiction book: "The pattern was so basic that it shaped not only individual perceptions but entire fields of inquiry."

I also found many example sentences on the web, such as the following:

* "In any field of inquiry, the beginner is more likely than the expert to make important discoveries."
* "This article seeks to place within a historical perspective the evolution of the economics of religion as a field of inquiry."
* "EEX 7304: Introduction to Field of Inquiry in Special Education"
* "We begin with a set of discriminations imposed on the relevant field of inquiry."
* "...or about how their work can lead to further development of that field of inquiry and eventually thereby to improvement in education."

 

[emsr2d2]

Have you looked up all the definitions of "field"? You probably already know what "of" and "inquiry" mean.

 

[robcranz]

Have you looked up all the definitions of "field"? You probably already know what "of" and "inquiry" mean.

It appears to be a figure of speech or technical term that I'm not familiar with. All searches by Google were not very helpful.

 

[Raymott]

It's an area of study or research or questioning;

http://english.stackexchange.com/qu...etween-field-of-inquiry-and-field-of-endeavor
https://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130408184657AArY0IC

 

[Tdol]

The field of inquiry of this thread is the English language.