Exegesis (exe·´jēsus): n., EXPOSITION, EXPLANATION; from exegeisthai to explain, interpret, from ex out of + hegeisthai to lead; see also seek 1.
As used here, an exegesis is a type of discourse that exposes or explains. That objective makes it different from an argument, which seeks to persuade2.
An exegesis follows a train of thought, but concentrates on surveying routes, grading terrain, and laying track. Less emphasis is given to describing any particular destination. The perspective arises from the author’s experience, some of which was acutely painful3, that most cats can be skinned more than one way4.
Two types of writings are found here:
– Essays are relatively abstract descriptions of, and rationale for, concepts and processes. Some are developed from “first principle”, while others are mere descriptions of common practices. All essays represent the author’s own take on the topic, and are not intended to represent themselves as “industry practice” or “rules”, even if stated in a concrete manner: they’re more guidelines, really.
– Examples are concrete implementations of the concepts. Most of the examples are drawn from the author’s experience, with suitable simplification to make the point at hand.
Whether essay or example, all exegeses have been topically categorized5. The individual categories can be used to isolate the set of material related to any given article. Most essays “link backwards” to more basic material. Some, however, have no backward links. Those pages are categorized as “Foundation” pages that can be used to start following some specific train of thought without having to start over.
Footnotes, and the occasional digressive “aside”, are used prolifically in order to introduce or address branches of concept. They can6 be skipped on the first reading. In most cases, arcane definitions and phrases are linked to brief definitions in the Things I Think I Know section for easy reference. It should come as no surprise that following those trains of thought can lead to destinations unforeseen and consequences unintended.
Footnotes