The philosophy of interdisciplinarity: sustainability science and problem-feeding
Författare
Summary, in English
Traditionally, interdisciplinarity has been taken to require conceptual or theoretical integration. However, in the emerging field of sustainability science this kind of integration is often lacking. Indeed sometimes it is regarded as an obstacle to interdisciplinarity. Drawing on examples from sustainability science, we show that problem-feeding, i.e. the transfer of problems, is a common and fruitful-looking way of connecting disparate disciplines and establishing interdisciplinarity. We identify two species of problem-feeding: unilateral and bilateral. Which of these is at issue depends on whether solutions to the problem are fed back to the discipline in which the problem originated. We suggest that there is an interesting difference between the problem-feeding approach to interdisciplinarity and the traditional integrative perspective suggested by among others Erich Jantsch and his colleagues. The interdisciplinarity resulting from problem-feeding between researchers can be local and temporary and does not require collaboration between proximate disciplines. By contrast, to make good sense of traditional integrative interdisciplinarity we must arguably associate it with a longer-term, global form of close, interdisciplinary collaboration.
Avdelning/ar
Publiceringsår
2013
Språk
Engelska
Sidor
337-355
Publikation/Tidskrift/Serie
Journal for General Philosophy of Science
Volym
44
Issue
2
Fulltext
- Available as PDF - 323 kB
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Dokumenttyp
Artikel i tidskrift
Förlag
Springer
Ämne
- Philosophy
Nyckelord
- Jantsch
- Sustainability science
- Problem-feeding
- Interdisciplinarity
Status
Published
Projekt
- LUCID - Lund University Centre of Excellence for Integration of Social and Natural Dimensions of Sustainability
Forskningsgrupp
- LUCID - Lund University Centre of Excellence for Integration of Social and Natural Dimensions of Sustainability
ISBN/ISSN/Övrigt
- ISSN: 0925-4560