The philosophy of interdisciplinarity: sustainability science and problem-feeding
Thorén, Henrik LU and Persson, Johannes LU
(2013)
In Journal for General Philosophy of Science
44(2).
p.337-355
- Abstract
- 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... (More)
- 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. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/4172976
- author
- Thorén, Henrik
LU
and Persson, Johannes
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2013
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Jantsch, Sustainability science, Problem-feeding, Interdisciplinarity
- in
- Journal for General Philosophy of Science
- volume
- 44
- issue
- 2
- pages
- 337 - 355
- publisher
- Springer
- external identifiers
-
- wos:000329606300004
- scopus:84891901739
- ISSN
- 0925-4560
- DOI
- 10.1007/s10838-013-9233-5
- project
- LUCID - Lund University Centre of Excellence for Integration of Social and Natural Dimensions of Sustainability
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- This work was supported by the Linnaeus programme LUCID (‘‘Lund University Centre of Excellence for Integration of Social and Natural Dimensions of Sustainability’’ (www.lucid.lu.se/), FORMAS, 2008–2018)
- id
- 07f27aaa-9f66-4a5f-aac9-b5d76eda8a13 (old id 4172976)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 14:17:54
- date last changed
- 2022-11-26 19:57:25
@article{07f27aaa-9f66-4a5f-aac9-b5d76eda8a13,
abstract = {{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.}},
author = {{Thorén, Henrik and Persson, Johannes}},
issn = {{0925-4560}},
keywords = {{Jantsch; Sustainability science; Problem-feeding; Interdisciplinarity}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{2}},
pages = {{337--355}},
publisher = {{Springer}},
series = {{Journal for General Philosophy of Science}},
title = {{The philosophy of interdisciplinarity: sustainability science and problem-feeding}},
url = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/3896252/8058350.pdf}},
doi = {{10.1007/s10838-013-9233-5}},
volume = {{44}},
year = {{2013}},
}