Research Topic
Conduct web research on a philosophical topic and produce structured research notes.
When to Use
- •Before writing a new article
- •When a todo item is type
research-topic - •When
/research-topic [topic]is invoked - •Monthly gap research
Instructions
1. Clarify the Topic
If a specific topic is provided, use it directly.
If invoked from todo.md, extract the topic from the task description.
2. Web Research
Use WebSearch to find:
Primary Academic Sources
- •Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (plato.stanford.edu)
- •Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (iep.utm.edu)
- •PhilPapers (philpapers.org)
Key Thinkers
- •Who are the major philosophers on this topic?
- •What are their main positions?
- •What are the key debates?
Historical Context
- •How has thinking evolved on this topic?
- •What are the major milestones?
Scientific Connections
- •What relevant scientific research exists?
- •How do empirical findings inform the philosophy?
Contemporary Discussions
- •What are current debates?
- •Are there recent developments?
3. Evaluate Sources Against Tenets
For each major position found, note:
- •Does it align with site tenets?
- •Does it conflict with any tenet?
- •How would site tenets respond to this view?
4. Generate Research Notes
Create notes at obsidian/research/[TOPIC-SLUG]-YYYY-MM-DD.md:
markdown
--- title: Research Notes - [Topic] created: YYYY-MM-DD draft: false ai_contribution: 100 ai_system: [current model] --- # Research: [Topic] **Date**: YYYY-MM-DD **Search queries used**: [list] ## Executive Summary [3-5 sentence overview of what was found] ## Key Sources ### [Source Title] - **URL**: [url] - **Type**: Encyclopedia/Paper/Book/Article - **Key points**: - Point 1 - Point 2 - **Tenet alignment**: Aligns/Conflicts/Neutral with [tenet] - **Quote**: "[notable quote]" ## Major Positions ### [Position Name] (e.g., "Physicalism") - **Proponents**: [names] - **Core claim**: [summary] - **Key arguments**: [list] - **Relation to site tenets**: [analysis] ### [Position Name] (e.g., "Property Dualism") [Similar format] ## Key Debates ### [Debate Title] - **Sides**: [who argues what] - **Core disagreement**: [what they disagree about] - **Current state**: [resolved? ongoing?] ## Historical Timeline | Year | Event/Publication | Significance | |------|-------------------|--------------| | YYYY | [event] | [why it matters] | ## Potential Article Angles Based on this research, an article could: 1. [Angle 1 - how it would align with tenets] 2. [Angle 2 - alternative approach] When writing the article, follow `obsidian/project/writing-style.md` for: - Named-anchor summary technique for forward references - Background vs. novelty decisions (what to include/omit) - Tenet alignment requirements - LLM optimization (front-load important information) ## Gaps in Research - [What couldn't be found] - [What needs deeper investigation] ## Citations [Full citation list in consistent format]
5. Update Todo
If this was a todo item, mark it complete and note the output file.
6. Log to Changelog
Append summary to obsidian/workflow/changelog.md.
Important
- •This skill ONLY produces research notes
- •Does NOT generate article content
- •Use
/expand-topicto write articles based on research - •Always cite sources with URLs
- •Be honest about tenet conflicts - don't hide opposing views
- •Note where research is incomplete