In laying the groundwork for a co-operative scientific inquiry in the field of learning sciences the following five areas of access to the study are considered in this introductory inquiry statement: 1) genetic sociology (symbolic systems and early socialization); 2) experimental ethnography (the effect of literacy on the structure of skill and memory); 3) language and infancy (the child's contribution to linguistic change and stability); 4) ethnological studies (behavioural homologies); and 5) theoretical models of learning (artificial intelligence). Specific aspects of learning theory that are discussed include selection-recognition theories of learning; skills as the perception of differences and, as such, a basic feature of all cognitive processes; the "culture-specific" character of skills; the importance of phylogenetic studies; questions of stability in general; and the stable rules themselves. The exploratory nature of this introductory statement leads to the formulation of six areas readily available for further research. (JH)