RETRODICTIVE STRUCTURAL HERMENEUTICS (RSH): A Controllable Heuristic Methodology for Analyzing the Relationship Between Fragmentary Early Data and Systematic Late Data

This study introduces Retrodictive Structural Hermeneutics (RSH) as a controllable heuristic methodology for analyzing the relationship between fragmentary early historical data and systematic later traditions. Rather than treating later textual or institutional developments as direct historical proof of earlier realities, RSH employs them as heuristic reference points for testing whether recurrent structural patterns indicate long-term continuity. The methodology seeks to distinguish between direct historical reconstruction and comparative structural analysis through an explicit analytical protocol.

RSH is designed for the comparative study of religious traditions, cosmological systems, and institutional development across civilizations where early evidence is incomplete but later sources are substantially more systematic. The method proposes a five-stage analytical framework consisting of: (1) Absolute Center, (2) Delegation of Authority, (3) Functional Representation, (4) Localization, and (5) Structural Expansion. These stages provide a consistent analytical model for evaluating structural continuity while avoiding deterministic historical claims.

The article further discusses the epistemological foundations, methodological safeguards, scope, and limitations of RSH, emphasizing its distinction from evolutionary paradigms and speculative historical reconstruction. Rather than offering a universal theory of civilizational development, RSH is presented as a heuristic historical methodology whose explanatory value depends on comparative empirical testing across multiple civilizations.

This publication presents Version 1.0 of the methodology and serves as the conceptual foundation for a broader comparative research program involving Mesopotamia, the Iranian Plateau, India, China, Korea, and Japan.