Tougher Than It Looks?
Host Andrew Vosko and guest Professor Patricia Easton discuss the history of transdisciplinary thought and the challenges involved with working in a field dedicated to applied knowledge, including complexity, integration, and ethics.
PostNormal Times · Patricia Easton, Andrew Vosko
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Show Notes
0:04: Host Andrew Vosko welcomes guest Patricia Easton, professor of humanities.
1:45: Patricia talks about her tenure overseeing the transdisciplinary studies program at Claremont Graduate University and her background as a philosopher.
4:50: Patricia talks about the evolution of the sciences from natural philosophy into various branches and sub-branches connected by bridge laws.
8:51: Patricia talks about the breakdown of bridge laws in the attempt to connect the sciences to the humanities, such as history, as they were forced to acknowledge the complexity of the material world.
9:57: Andrew and Patricia discuss the role the Second World War played in advancing the need and practice of applied—transdisciplinary—knowledge.
12:28: Andrew considers the roots of transdisciplinarity in Jean Piaget.
14:45: Andrew and Patricia discuss synthesis as a key aspect of transdisciplinary work.
20:16: Patricia discusses her students’ processes for coming to grips with so-called “wicked” problems.
25:00: Patricia discusses a case study featuring the integration of the arts and public health initiatives.
26:48: Andrew and Patricia discuss the arts as knowledge generation.
36:12: Andrew brings up the moral and ethical dimension of transdisciplinary work.
38:08: Patricia talks about the challenges and complexity in achieving work for the public good.
41:55: Andrew talks about the transdisciplinary mindset that results from the recognition of the complexities involved in “wicked” problems, ethical research, etc.
47:47: Andrew and Patricia talk about who put the trans in transdisciplinarity, and why.