Software Diagnostics and Observability Institute

PDF: https://www.dumpanalysis.org/files/Diagnostics_Observability_and_Debuggi...

An unexpected result gives us a starting point for an investigation. We still need to establish what the evidence records, how it was produced, and which explanations it can support. These questions connect diagnostic practices across sciences, humanities, and arts.

This book brings together six histories of diagnostics, observability, and debugging in natural sciences, formal sciences, social sciences, humanities, arts, and engineering sciences. We examine the development of methods for preserving observations, locating discrepancies, testing explanations, and verifying corrections. A proof, an experiment, a critical edition, and an integrated system test establish different kinds of claims. Understanding these differences helps us choose the next diagnostic step and recognize what remains unresolved.

We develop the synthesis through our pattern-oriented approach to diagnostics. Recurring arrangements in evidence suggest useful comparisons and further questions, while the methods of each field determine what an answer establishes. A worked investigation shows how the six perspectives cooperate. A comparative chronology, shared vocabulary, and closing visual outline support further exploration.

The discussion also extends to automation and agentic AI. As tools collect, transform, and interpret evidence, we need to preserve the relationships between their operations and the resulting claims. Diagnostic knowledge includes what changed, why the correction was justified, and where verification ends.

An overview and synthesis of six histories:

Natural Sciences
Formal Sciences
Social Sciences
Humanities
Arts
Engineering Sciences