Interdisciplinarity implies an interrelation between different disciplines.
The quality of interdisciplinarity is known as interdisciplinarity (that is, that which is carried out from the implementation of several disciplines ). The term, it is said, was developed by the sociologist Louis Wirtz and was made official for the first time in 1937 .
Interdisciplinarity assumes the existence of a group of disciplines related to each other and with previously established links , which prevent actions from being developed in an isolated, dispersed or segmented manner. It is a dynamic process that aims to find solutions to different research difficulties.
Relevance of interdisciplinarity
The importance of interdisciplinarity appears with the scientific-technical development itself, which led to the emergence of multiple scientific branches . This dynamic made the need to integrate situations and aspects to generate knowledge increasingly greater.
Although the first to mention this term was Louis Wirtz (in 1937), a consistent theory was only postulated in the 1970s. Smirnov did so by developing the ontological and epistemological bases of this concept. In this study he determined the importance of social integration , and assured that in order to truly understand it it was necessary to establish a new way of approaching knowledge .
A comprehensive approach
Thanks to interdisciplinarity, the objects of study are approached in a comprehensive manner and the development of new methodological approaches for solving problems is promoted.
In other words, it can be said that interdisciplinarity offers a methodological framework that is based on the systematic exploration of the fusion of theories , instruments and formulas of scientific relevance related to different disciplines that arise from the multidimensional approach to each phenomenon.
Examples of interdisciplinarity
An example of an interdisciplinary science is oceanography , which is dedicated to the analysis of biological, physical, geological and chemical procedures that take place in the oceans and seas. Another example is medical mathematics , an interdisciplinary field of science in which mathematics serves to explain phenomena, procedures or facts related to medicine or biology .
In any case, currently, all sciences pursue interdisciplinarity when it comes to deepening and strengthening. In fact, it is considered a fundamental element if you want to finish creative and innovative work .
Thanks to interdisciplinarity, specialists from different sciences or areas work together.
Inter, multi and transdisciplinarity
Some authors include multidisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity within interdisciplinarity, others prefer to elaborate the three concepts separately. The latter ensure that they consist of absolutely different processes and that to be understood they must be analyzed in isolation. In any case, they agree with the first ones in that all these concepts are similar in one thing, that they are essential for learning , holistic practice and the development of skills .
Multidisciplinarity refers to the search for knowledge, the desire to develop those skills that could exist but to which importance has not been given. It proposes the exhaustive analysis of the same thing through different fields to achieve extensive knowledge of it. For example, a secondary school student who goes to mathematics, science and literature classes and also plays sports, obtains a multidisciplinary education.
Interdisciplinarity refers to the ability to combine several disciplines , that is, to interconnect them and thus expand the advantages that each one offers. It refers not only to the application of theory in practice, but also to the integration of several fields in the same work. From an educational point of view, for example, activities are proposed to promote learning by combining several areas, such as music and mathematics, which will help students associate concepts and obtain a comprehensive and not fragmented education.
Finally, transdisciplinarity refers to the set of holistic practices that transcend the normal labels of knowledge, without ignoring them. It is about understanding the pluralistic nature of things and approaching knowledge without thinking about different disciplines , but rather focusing on the object of study. Analyzing it from an educational point of view, we can say that a fundamental objective that teachers must have is to get students to focus on the object of knowledge, without underestimating the different areas but without approaching the study from a centralist perspective, but rather open and integrative.
Interdisciplinarity to avoid centralization
That said, it should be noted that even if the three concepts are analyzed separately or together, they all refer to the importance of not centralizing thinking in one science but integrating several sciences in that study. Some synonyms for the idea of interdisciplinarity can be reason for unity, reciprocal relationships, integration of scientific disciplines, transfer of methods from one science to another, among many others.
Finally, it is worth clarifying that interdisciplinarity is essential when talking about scientific development today, because, for example, in order to understand social problems and propose solutions, interaction between related disciplines is essential.