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Difference between revisions of "Topic"

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Revision as of 14:58, 4 December 2015

This article is about the current version of DF.
Note that some content may still need to be updated.


Topics (also Tech or Innovations) are part of knowledge.

There are around 300 innovations that can be discovered. Many of them have requirements, and many do not, so it's kind of a tech forest/grassland rather than a tree. Notably missing are innovations related to practical labors in the game (which will be added later in development).

Several innovations require innovations from other branches, and since all knowledge is individually tracked, that implies some investigators will need to be at least well-read if not skilled in various topics (there aren't currently joint research projects). There are some old and new mechanisms in place to ensure this happens.

There are 9 "branches" of the knowledge system.

Astronomy

Topic Description
Geocentric Model The theory that the sun moves around the world
Daylight And Seasons The variation of daylight with the season
The relationship between the lunar and solar year
The Sun and Seasons The rise of the sun according to the season
The path of the moon
The Moon and Seasons The rise of the moon according to the season
Moon and Tides The relationship between the moon and the tides
Celestial Cartography The creation of star charts
Heliocentric Model The theory that the world moves around the sun
Methods of empirical observation in astronomy
Lunar Phase The phases of the moon

Chemistry

Topic Description
Adhesives The preparation and use of adhesive materials
Mineral taxonomy The classification of ores
Evaporation The theory and method of evaporation
Material taxonomy The classification of materials based on which elemental materials might form them
Laboratory Science Methods for performing experiments systematically in the laboratory
Ampoule The construction and use of the ampoule
Alembic The construction and use of the alembic
Alloys The mixture of metals to produce alloys
Solvent Extraction The theory and methods involved in the extraction of a constituent liquid from one solution to another
Blast Furnace The construction and use of the blast furnace
Retort The construction and use of the retort
Basicity and Acidity The classification of alkali and acids

Engineering

Topic Description
The Pulley The construction and use of the pulley
The Lever The construction and use of the lever
The Windlass The construction and use of the windlass
The Screw The construction and use of the screw
Models and Templates The use of models and templates in engineering
The Warded Lock The construction and use of the warded lock
The Tumbler Lock The construction and use of the tumbler lock
The Siphon The action of the siphon
Gear Mechanics The reasons why gears are effective
The Crystal Lens The construction and use of the crystal lens
The Funnel The construction and use of the funnel
Camera Obscura The construction and use of the camera obscura
Buoyancy and Water Displacement A precise description of buoyancy and water displacement
Valves The construction and use of valves
The Bellows The construction and use of the bellows
The Straight-Beam Balance The construction and use of the straight-beam balance
Wedge Mechanics The reasons why the wedge is effective
Water Clocks The use of water-based devices to tell time
Lamination The use of lamination
Wheel Mechanics The reasons why the wheel-and-axle construction is effective
Pulley Mechanics The reasons why pulleys are effective
Screw Mechanics The reasons why screws are effective

Differential gears are a difficult innovation and a prerequisite for pointing chariots and astrariums.

Geography

Topic Description
Surveying The process of surveying land
Anemology The forces that govern wind patterns
Econometrics The process of economic data collection
Economic Map The placement of economic information on maps
Surveying Staff The construction and use of the surveying staff

The geography innovations include several related to cartography.

History

Innovations for historians are, in part, writing forms like biography, and then any historian that reads a biography can start writing them as well. Innovations include comparative biographies describing multiple people, and matters of sourcing, etc.

Historians can start to understand how cultural differences and state bias affects source reliability and think a bit about social forces.

Topic Description
Archaeology The method of collecting and evaluating artifacts to learn about history and culture
Cultural History The method of accurately and comprehensively describing cultures and civilizations"
Source Reliability The reliability of sources
Personal Interviews Using personal interviews as sources
Autobiographical Adventures The method of writing a biography of oneself, particularly as it concerns a military campaign or adventure
Historical Causes Discourse on the cause of historical events
Biography The method of writing the history of a single individual
Cultural Comparison The method of comparing and contrasting different cultures
The role of cultural differences in source reliability and interpretation
Biographical Anthology The compilation of brief biographies into one large collection
Genealogy The compilation of family lineages and methods of displaying them artfully
Biographical Comparison Compiling several biographies to compare and contrast the subjects' character and to gain insight into history
Alternate History The exploration of how history would be different if some key past events had transpired differently the notion of historical, governmental and social cycles
Cyclic History The notion of historical, governmental and social cycles
Historical Causation The causes of historical events

Mathematics

Topic Description
Positional Notation
Large Sums Simple formulas for certain arbitrarily large sums
Equations The technique of balancing and completion for solving equations
Very Large Numbers Notation for very large numbers
Nothingness A symbol for nothingness

Medical science

Medical innovations include dedicated hospitals with specialized wards, staffing, medical labs and treatment for many illnesses.

Topic Description
Diseases The diseases of creatures
Mineral Remedies
Disease Classification The classification of disease
Toxicology The classification of toxic substances
Suturing The surgical method of suturing
Traumatic Injuries The treatment of traumatic injuries
Draining The surgical method of draining
Bandages The method of bandaging wounds
Paroxysm The notion of paroxysm
Fracture Treatment The treatment of fractures
Scraping The surgical method of scraping
Anesthesia Anesthesia
Practice models The use of practice models in surgery
Surgical Instruments The use of specialized surgical instruments
Anatomy Anatomical studies for medical edification
Ocular Anatomy The anatomy of the eye
Disease and Foul Water The connection between disease and fouled water
Herbal Remedies Herbal remedies
Physical Examination The method of physical examination in diagnosing illness
Probing The surgical method of probing
Prognosis Determining the likely outcome given a patient's current status
Progressive Pathology The notion of the exacerbation of a patient's condition
Cauterization Cauterization


Natural science

Toady on natural science innovations:

And so on through the other seven branches - there are innovations in naturalist writings, for example, and then they can investigate specific critters with those in mind when they get down to work observing foraging behavior or performing dissections.

Naturalists can build a theory of rainbows using water-filled spheres and a camera obscura, and they can calculate the height of the atmosphere based on atmospheric refraction using the law of refraction (though it tries not to get into the actual shape of the world, since that might vary).

Topic Description
Physical Features The classification of creatures by their physical features
Climactic Adaptation The way that creatures are suited to the climates in which they live
Migratory Patterns The migratory patterns of creatures
The origin of rainfall through evaporation and condensation
A world-wide cycle involving precipitation, oceans, rivers and other forms of water
Water Displacement A precise description of buoyancy and water displacement
Foraging Behavior The foraging behavior and diet of creatures
Reproductive Behavior The reproductive behavior of creatures
Social Behavior The social behavior of creatures
Dissection The dissection of creatures


Philosophy

The specific view that a philosopher takes on, say, the nature of beauty or methods of education will depend on their individual/cultural values, where they apply, and a philosopher that encounters a philosophy book on beauty can then provide their own take (having acquired the innovation).

Toady on philosophy innovations:

For fields like philosophy, I've tried not to make judgments about which ideas are "right" or anything like that, but rather which subjects can be thought about at all.

Topic Description
Art
Value Agendas Writers can push value "agendas" if they are skilled enough.

Format: The Worthlessness/Value/Nature of "Value".

The nature of truth 
Interpersonal Ethics Discourse on ethics as applied to interpersonal conduct
Causation The nature of causation
Diplomatic discourse Discourse on diplomacy
Discourse on Contentment Discourse on the meaning of individual happiness
Economic discourse Discourse on economic policy
Civic ethics Discourse on ethics as it regards the benefit of the state
Phenomenology Discourse on the nature of perception
Theory of justification Discourse on the nature of justification
Objects and Properties The relationship between objects and their properties
Horology Discourse on the nature of time
Philosophy of Mind Discourse on the nature of mind and body
Martial Ethics Discourse on ethics as applied to war
Aesthetics Discourse on the nature of beauty
Jurisprudence Discourse on law
Syntactic theory Discourse on grammar
Political science Discourse on government
Dictionaries Dictionaries
Formal Reasoning Formal reasoning
Welfare Theory Discourse on social welfare
Theory of Events Discourse on the nature of events
Pedagogy Discourse on education
Doxastic Theory Discourse on the nature of belief
Medical ethics Discourse on medical ethics

Unknown/unsorted

Topic Description
Economic policy, its forms and recommendations
Dictionaries
Shadow Clocks The use of shadows to tell direction and time
Social Welfare Social welfare, its forms and recommendations