Transdisciplinarity : ReCreating Integrated Knowledge

This book addresses the need for transdisciplinarity, a new and important approach to solution of global problems. Cover Contents Contributors and Biographical Notes Preface SECTION I: INTRODUCTION 1 Voices of Royaumont 2 Doing Transdisciplinarity SECTION II: EXPERIENCES WITH TRANSDISCIPLINARITY Preamble 1 PERSPECTIVES FROM KNOWLEDGE THEORISTS 1.1 Disciplines as Cultures: Towards Reflection and Understanding 1.2 Notions of Transdisciplinarity 1.3 Transdisciplinarity Reconsidered 1.4 Integration, Evaluation, and Disciplinarity 2 PERSPECTIVES FROM LEGAL THEORISTS 2.1 Transdisciplinarity and Trust 2.2 Transdisciplinarity and Transformative Praxis 2.3 Some Considerations about Transdisciplinarity: A New Metaphysics? 2.4 Transdisciplinarity: Structuring Creative Tension 3 PERSPECTIVES FROM SOCIAL SCIENTISTS AND HUMANISTS 3.1 Transdisciplinarity for Problems at the Interstices of Disciplines 3.2 Musings of a Sceptic: The Role of the Television/Film Producer 3.3 Transdisciplinarity, Futures Studies, and Empirical Research 3.4 Transdisciplinarity: Postmodern Buzz Word or New Methods for New Problems? 4 PERSPECTIVES FROM NATURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTISTS 4.1 Transdisciplinarity: An Approach to Problem-solving in a Complex World 4.2 The Great World Problems: The Need for Transdisciplinarity 4.3 Transdisciplinarity: Philosophy, Practice, and Future Challenges 4.4 Transdisciplinarity Perspectives in Systems Engineering and Management 5 PERSPECTIVES FROM PHYSICIANS AND MEDICAL SCIENTISTS 5.1 Transdisciplinarity: A Personal Odyssey 5.2 Reflections on Transdisciplinarity 5.3 Experiences with Transdisciplinarity: From Neologism to Worldview 6 PERSPECTIVES FROM PUBLIC HEALTH SCIENTISTS 6.1 Some Transdisciplinary Experiences 6.2 Transdisciplinarity in Science SECTION III: REPORTS FROM THE COLLOQUIUM Preamble 7 EXPLORING TRANSDISCIPLINARITY 7.1 What is Transdisciplinarity? 7.2 What Makes Transdisciplinarity Succeed or Fail? 7.3 Which Global Issues Need Transdisciplinarity? 7.4 How Do We Research and Evaluate Transdisciplinarity? 8 PRACTICING TRANSDISCIPLINARITY 8.1 The Health Sector 8.2 The Environment Sector 8.3 The Education Sector 8.4 The Business Sector 9 LOOKING TO THE FUTURE 9.1 Colloquium Synthesis: What Have We Learned? 9.2 The Future: Where To From Here? Afterword Contributing Author Index Subject Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Transdisciplinarity provides an essential context for understanding some of the most important, complex, and difficult issues we face, whether in environmental protection, maintaining our health care systems, drafting new laws, formulating public policy, accommodating religious and cultural pluralism, or dealing humanely and respectfully with an ageing population. It responds to the need to cross boundaries in order to embrace the ideas of all disciplines that may be relevant to these questions. Successful transdisciplinary endeavours depend on developing methodologies that can be used to re-integrate knowledge. Contributors include Upendra Baxi (University of Warwick), Solomon Benatar (University of Cape Town), Ellis Cowling (North Carolina State University, William S. Fyfe (University of Western Ontario), Norbert Gilmore (McGill University), Julie Thompso Klein (Wayne State University), Sheldon Krimsky (Tufts University), Brian Lapping (documentary filmmaker), John Last (emeritus, University of Ottawa), Roderick MacDonald (McGill University), Desmond Manderson (Macquarie University), Eleonora Barbieri Masini (Gregorian University), Gavan J. McDonell (University of New South Wales), Anthony J. McMichael (University of London), Robert Y. McMurtry (Medical Research Council of Canada), Nicole Morgan (author, France), William H. Newell (Miami University), David J, Rapport, Andrew Sage (emeritus, George Mason University), Margaret A. Somerville, and Katherine Young (McGill University). Addresses the need for transdisciplinarity, a new and important approach to the solution of global problems, to assist us in understanding some of the most important, complex and difficult issues we face in the world today.