Transdisciplinarity

The need to expand the scientific worldview was largely facilitated by the scientific and technological revolution of the 60s - 70s of the XX century, requiring science to penetrate deeper and more intensively into the essence of the laws of nature and society than it was possible to do with the help of disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches. The term “transdisciplinarity” and the proposal to discuss the topic of “transdisciplinarity in science” was proposed by Jean Piaget in 1970. He also belongs to the first definition of transdisciplinarity. “After the stage of interdisciplinary research,” he wrote, one should expect a higher stage — the transdisciplinary one, which will not be limited to interdisciplinary relations, but will place these relations within the global system , without strict boundaries between disciplines ” ^{[1] [2]} . It is important to note that one of the main issues of this discussion was the discussion of the essence of transdisciplinarity. Jean Piaget believed that transdisciplinarity should be considered as a new field of knowledge, different from multidisciplinarity and interdisciplinarity ^[3] . Erich Jantsch, an Austrian astrophysicist, researcher of the problem of self-organization in the Universe, one of the founders of the Club of Rome, supported the opinion of Jean Piaget. He was convinced that transdisciplinarity, as a “new space without stable boundaries between disciplines,” as a new field of knowledge, should certainly be super- or hyperdiscipline. Such transdisciplinarity, he wrote, should be “the coordinator of all disciplinary and interdisciplinary systems of training and innovation based on a common axiomatic approach” ^[4] . In this interpretation, the new (transdisciplinary) field of knowledge required its own (transdisciplinary) approach. In turn, Andre Likhnerovich’s view of transdisciplinarity was radically mathematical. He perceived transdisciplinarity as a kind of “cross-cutting games” that could describe “the homogeneity of theoretical activity in various fields of science and technology, regardless of the field where this activity is carried out”. And, of course, this theoretical activity could be formulated, he believed, only in mathematical language ^[5] .

An active discussion of transdisciplinarity in world science has continued since the mid 80-ies of the XX century. However, due to its semantic potential, the term “transdisciplinarity” has not yet been clearly defined. It is possible to distinguish several, most frequently used, meanings of this term, as well as established types of transdisciplinarity.

• In the first sense, transdisciplinarity is understood as a “declaration” proclaiming the equal rights of famous and little-known scientists, large and small scientific disciplines, cultures and religions, in the study of the world. In this sense, transdisciplinarity plays the role of a “security certificate” for any private point of view. ^[6] .
• In the second meaning, “transdisciplinarity" is interpreted as a high level of education, versatility, universality of knowledge of a particular person. Such people are usually said to have encyclopedic knowledge.
• In the third meaning, “transdisciplinarity” is interpreted as a “rule of exploration of the surrounding world." It is assumed that transdisciplinarity will be realized if the problem is investigated at once on several levels. For example, at the physical and mental levels, globally and locally ^[7] .
• In the fourth meaning, "transdisciplinarity" is used as the "principle of the organization of scientific knowledge", which opens up wide possibilities for the interaction of many disciplines in solving complex problems of nature and society. It should be noted that transdisciplinarity, in the fourth sense, allows scientists to officially go beyond their discipline without fear of being accused of amateurism. Depending on how much and in what combination scientists will use other disciplines in their disciplinary research, transdisciplinarity, in the fourth sense, will be called multidisciplinarity, pluridisciplinarity, interdisciplinarity.

According to the results of research by the Belgian scientist E. Judge (Judge, A) ^[8] , in modern science there are four types of transdisciplinarity.

The most common form is transdisciplinarity-1. This type of transdisciplinarity is based on the efforts of a formal relationship of understanding of individual disciplines. It provides the formation of logical meta-frames through which their knowledge can be integrated at a higher level of abstraction than is happening in interdisciplinarity. Transdisciplinarity-1 is often used in the work of various expert systems, and expert groups.

Transdisciplinarity-2 has a closer internal connection with the personal experience of the researcher, including meditation. Transdisciplinarity-2 and transdisciplinarity-1 contrast with two other types of transdisciplinarity. For example, the illustrative use of metaphor and figurative language can be considered as the initial form of transdisciplinarity (transdisciplinarity-0). This is its difference from another type of transdisciplinarity (transdisciplinarity-3) associated with the use of general metaphors that have fundamental cognitive significance.

Each form of transdisciplinarity has its advantages and disadvantages. However, the obvious feasibility of using transdisciplinarity allowed us to consider it one of the main ways to solve complex multifactorial problems of the 21st century. This is evidenced by the text of the "World Declaration on Higher Education for the 21st Century: Approaches and Practical Measures." The declaration was adopted by the participants of the International Conference on Higher Education, held in October 1998 in Paris, at UNESCO Headquarters. Article 5 and article 6, the Declaration, contain recommendations - to encourage the transdisciplinarity of educational programs and teach future specialists, to use a transdisciplinary approach to solve complex problems of nature and society ^[9] .

On the eve of this conference, in May 1998, a symposium on transdisciplinarity was held under the auspices of UNESCO in Royaumont Abbey (Paris, France). The outcome documents of the symposium consolidated an understanding of the essence of transdisciplinarity. “Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches are not a means of effective protection against the ongoing fragmentation of knowledge, because, through simple juxtaposition or assembly of disciplinary approaches, they do not achieve the depth of“ integration ”of the fundamental unity that underlies all forms of knowledge. Their conceptual and methodological tools should be rethought. Transdisciplinarity was originally conceived as a meta-methodology, therefore, the transdisciplinary approach takes as an object precisely those different techniques of various disciplines, only in order to “transform” and “surpass” them ” ^[10] .

An example of the development of transdisciplinarity in the direction of finding the formal relationship of individual disciplines Transdisciplinarity-1) are the American School of Transdisciplinarity ^[11] , as well as the Swiss School of Transdisciplinarity ^[12] and the Chinese School of Transdisciplinarity ^[13] . The French school of transdisciplinarity prefers a closer internal connection with the personal experience of the researcher, as well as the use of general metaphors with fundamental cognitive significance Transdisciplinarity-2,3 ^[14] . The following fact testifies to the prospect of the development of transdisciplinarity in world science. In 2013, in the United States, under the auspices of the American Academy of Science and Culture, the ARISE-2 Report (Advancing Research in Science and Engineering) was published. Among the main goals outlined in the report, the goal stands out - to carry out in American science "the transition from interdisciplinarity to transdisciplinarity." Interdisciplinarity implies a simple “borrowing” of techniques and methods from other fields of science, while transdisciplinarity involves a “functional synthesis of methodologies”, the creation of completely new research concepts based on them ^[15] .

• Stairway of sciences
• System theory

• Transdisciplinarity: reCreating Integrated Knowledge. Editer by Margaret A Somervill & David J Rapport. 271 pages. Published in 2000 by EOLSS Publishers Co. Ltd. Oxford, UK. ISBN 0-9534944-1-1
• Log in N.V. The use of modern scientific approaches in education, Tyumen State University Department of Foreign Languages ​​and Intercultural Professional Communication "IMENIT"
• Grebenshchikova E.G. Transdisciplinary paradigm: science-innovation-society. - M .: Librocom, 2011. ISBN 978-5-397-02784-7
• Grebenshchikova E.G. Transdisciplinary paradigm in bioethics // Knowledge. Understanding. Skill. - 2010. - No. 2. - S. 79-83.
• Grebenshchikova E.G. A new interface of science and society: transdisciplinary strategies in biomedical research // Caspian region: politics, economics, culture. - 2011. - No. 1 - (26). - S. 149-155.
• Kiyashchenko L.P. Experience in the philosophy of transdisciplinarity: (the case of "bioethics") // Questions of Philosophy. - 2005. - No. 8.- S. 105-117.
• The phenomenon of transdisciplinarity. L.P. Kiyashchenko / experience of philosophical analysis - L.P. Kiyashchenko, P.D. Tishchenko. UDC 165 BBK 87.22 Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Published in 2006, Nauka Publishing House, Moscow, Russia. ISBN 5-02-033857-5
• The philosophy of transdisciplinarity. L.P. Kiyashchenko, V.I. Moiseev. 205 pages. UDC 168.5 BBK 73 K46 Published in 2009, Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia. ISBN 978-5-9540-0152-5
• Pyastolov S.M. Genesis and prospects of transdisciplinarity // TERRA ECONOMICUS. Southern Federal University (Rostov-on-Don). 2016.V. 14. № 2 - p. 139-158. URL: http://elibrary.ru/contents.asp?issueid=1594133 (accessed: 08.09.2016).

• Oskolsky A. Caution, interdisciplinarity! // Trinity version - Science No. 138
• Theory of Transdisciplinarity in Anthropology ppt-document, with explanations in the notes
• Mapping Transdisciplinarity in Human Sciences pdf-document