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15 Transdisciplinarity for environmental literacy
concepts or methods rom one discipline to another.In the rst denition o transdisciplinarity by Jantschas the “multi-level coordination o entire education/innovation system” (Jantsch, 1972, p. 221), the“beyond” science notion o “trans”-disciplinarity ishighlighted. Since there is some conusion about thedistinction between interdisciplinarity and transdisci-plinarity, we briey dene our understanding o theseconcepts.
Disciplines
are characterized by objects and (core)methods by which certain problems are approached.For example, mathematics deals with relationshipsbetween symbols and numbers by the method o proo.Similarly, the purview o pharmacy is to investigate theimpact o certain chemicals (called medical drugs) ondiseases by the use o laboratory experiments and clin-ical trials.
Interdisciplinarity
is established by the
fusion
o concepts and methods rom dierent disciplines. Ametaphorical example illustrating what is meant by usion is the saxophone, which emerged rom theclarinet and the trumpet. Biochemistry, which studieschemical processes in living organisms, or example,investigating reactions o proteins and other mol-ecules, can (at least beore it got established as a dis-cipline) serve as an example o an interdisciplinary eld. Te experimental method is a pillar o this eld.Te term “industrial ood web” used in the emergingdomain o industrial ecology can also be taken as anintegrated concept.
Transdisciplinarity
is undamentally dierentrom interdisciplinarity. Most o today’s denitions o transdisciplinarity include in their meaning that it goesbeyond science in the sense that it “deals with relevant,complex societal problems and organizes processes …”that relate knowledge and values o “agents rom thescientic and the non-scientic world” (Scholz
et al
.,2000, p. 447). As there are dierent notions o transdis-ciplinarity, we provide insight into the our most sali-ent conceptions below.Disciplines efciently organize the methods andsystematized knowledge about the material–bio-physical–technological as well as the social–cultural–epistemic world. Interdisciplinarity merges conceptsand methods rom dierent disciplines or betterunderstanding and explanation o certain issues, phe-nomena, and processes that cannot be sufciently explained rom a single disciplinary perspective.ransdisciplinarity organizes processes that link sci-entic, theoretic, and abstract epistemics with theuture in harmony with the environment. Finally, wedescribe unctions o transdisciplinary processes suchas capacity/competence-building, consensus-building,analytic mediation, and legitimization o public policy.
15.1.1 Why transdisciplinarity?
Collaboration between science and society is oenrequested i uncertainty arises about substantialchanges in human-environment systems (HES) such asthe introduction o a new technology or new medicalpharmaceuticals, diagnosis or therapy. Other problemsthat deserve collaborative processes between scienceand society are the nding o mitigation, adaptation,policy or decision strategies, or instance when acingundamental changes o the natural or social environ-ment such as rom natural hazards, climate change,resources scarcity or changing cultural settings.We argue that, rom the perspective o society,transdisciplinarity provides an efcient use o knowl-edge or coping with complex, socially relevant prob-lems. It provides societal capacity-building and bridgesthe growing gul between many areas o research andthe public. Tis equips society with a better under-standing o how technologies, or the natural environ-ment, work and how the latter interacts with humansystems. Tus, in consequence, transdisciplinarity canpermit us to master and cope more adequately with thenew and unknown, or instance regarding inventionssuch as nanotech particles, both rom a scientic androm a societal perspective. At the same time, it stimu-lates academic research by highlighting phenomena,issues, and emerging questions that require scienticreection, and eeds experiential knowledge into theresearch process. Furthermore, it rees science romthe cumbersome implementation problem. Insteado acing the challenge o gaining public understand-ing, acceptance, or appraisal o something ingeni-ous, but that is rejected or “non-academic reasons,”transdisciplinary processes put science into practicerom the very beginning. ransdisciplinarity is, as wewill elaborate, an efcient means to use knowledge indecision-making, at least in certain types o prodemo-cratic, civic societies (Almond, 2000).
15.1.2 Defnition and notions o transdisciplinarity
Te term transdisciplinarity is occasionally reerred toas “perected interdisciplinarity” or as the transer o