1. Inter-disciplinary research: combing different perspectives
Desmond
McNeill

2. How disciplines differ (lecture 1)
Matter and meaning
Reduction and holism

3. What are researchers trying to do?
Explanation interpretation
Causal explanation making sense.
Generalising across all contexts offering insights into particular phenomena.
‘Hard’ science ‘soft’ science.

4. Why are they doing research?
Intrinsic reasons
Instrumental reasons.

5. Classification of disciplines (1)

6. But in quantum theory an elementary particle is not an independently existing unanalyzable entity. It is, in essence, a set of relationships that reach outward to other things. (Stapp, 1971, p. 1310)
Stapp, H. (1971), ‘S-matrix interpretation of quantum theory’, in Physical Review,
3 (6).

7. Classification of disciplines (2)

8. Examples
development studies:
environmental studies:
gender studies:
science studies:
media studies:

9. Ref: International Association for the Study of Common Property.
“Today, the Workshop is home to an extensive interdisciplinary research agenda and affiliated faculty in Anthropology, Economics, Geography, Political Science, Psychology, the Kelley School of Business, School of Informatics, School of Law, and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs.”

10. Examples of projects at SUM:
EU-funded: sustainable management of vicuna, LUPIS, STRIVER,
NFR-funded: multilateral organisations, SUM-MEDIC

11. How Disciplines Interact (1)

12. How Disciplines Interact (2)

13. Contrasts between neighbouring disciplines

14. SUM: Lessons from experience
• Interdisciplinarity does not replace disciplines, it builds on them;
• The best way to undertake interdisciplinary research is through collaboration between researchers with different disciplinary backgrounds;
• Interdisciplinarity requires a critical but informed knowledge of one’s own discipline of origin; openness to, and respect for, other disciplines; and the willingness and ability to enter into dialogue with them;
In the field of sustainable development, the greatest divide is between ‘reductionist’ and ‘holistic’ approaches (which is not quite the same as the natural/social science divide). SUM’s competence and interest has been in the latter.