Working definition
Comparison is a researcher-constructed operation, not discovery of natural equivalence. Terms such as religion, scripture, prayer, meditation, mysticism, deity, and salvation may organize inquiry but must be tested against emic categories, translation history, scale, function, and documented non-equivalences.
Questions this method asks
- Who chose the comparison category?
- What dimension is actually comparable?
- What must remain non-equivalent?
Evidence inputs
- Source-language terms and participant accounts
- Historical and functional context
- Explicit comparison axes
Method
- Declare the comparative purpose.
- Compare one bounded axis at a time.
- Publish asymmetries and category failures.
What it can establish
- A transparent bounded comparison
- Documented similarities and differences
What it cannot establish
- A universal essence of religion
- Interchangeability of superficially similar practices
Interpretive risks
- False equivalence
- Using one tradition as the default scale
Mathematical connection
Formal structure without validity transfer
Related mathematical concepts are listed in the contract, but no direct application bridge is asserted in this release.
Methodology sources
- [1]Multilingualism and Linguistic Diversity · UNESCO
Establishes: A policy basis for treating languages as carriers of culturally situated knowledge and for preserving linguistic diversity, multilingual access, and participation in digital knowledge systems.
Boundary: Multilingual access does not make translations semantically identical. Every translation remains an accountable interpretation with choices, losses, gains, and a named source text.
- [2]Ethical Principles for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage · UNESCO
Establishes: Community-centered principles concerning participation, consent, customary access, diversity, dynamic change, respect, and the right of communities to assess the value of their own living heritage.
Boundary: Respect for communities is not uncritical endorsement, and external research does not acquire authority to rank sacred value. Human-rights, consent, safety, and evidence standards still apply.