Why Is Trans-Disciplinarity So Difficult?
Ekaterini Nikolarea
If trans-disciplinarity goes beyond the boundaries of various scientific fields (i.e. of interdisciplinarity) by various stakeholders, such as practitioners, citizens, policymakers, and businesses, in the knowledge production process, why does it seem so difficult in practice?
Why do very good theoretical models of trans-disciplinarity fail both in creating integrative solutions that are sound and relevant to real-world problems and in fostering societal innovation and learning?
This presentation will try to answer this sequence of questions by examining which inherent problems in academia and various societies operate as stumbling blocks:
On the one hand, in academia, there is the bias that expressing difficult issues in an understandable language is something that is neither scientific nor profitable; it is rather time-consuming and very insecure in social practice. There is also the academic attitude that “what is said is the ‘absolute’ truth of the matter” [a snobbish attitude/hubris]; a variety of examples will be provided.
On the other hand, the wider society is very hesitant when encountering a “pure” academic discourse (which is not understandable) and sense that they are looked down upon by the academics.
Finally, the presenter will discuss the intangible aspects of trans-disciplinarity, and how these aspects, when practiced, can remove stumbling blocks of miscommunication, a fact that takes time and effort from both sides. Full Text
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