A Collection of Deepened Intellectual Pursuits
-- Perspectives on Neuroscience --
What is Interdisciplinary Science?
Inter- means "between"
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Disciplinary (from the Latin term disciplina) means "teaching or knowledge"
An amalgamation of more than one field of study to understand a preexisting notion or to expand upon the known.
Thinking Across Boundaries.
Recognize continuity across and commonalities among academic disciplines
Piece of a Puzzle
Learn physics, chemistry, math, and biology as complements to each other as opposed to isolated subsets of science
Form a deepened understanding of a concept by drawing knowledge from fields such as sociology, anthropology, psychology, economics, etc.
Encourage Creativity.
WHY DOES IT
Matter?
I believe that the modern academic curriculum has come to organize units of science, whether it be physically, chemically, or biologically oriented, with the purpose of encouraging vertical depth. As the knowledge pertaining to these fields expands, the domain of practical research demands that all that has preceded a novel research project must be known and thoroughly studied. Although such a foundation is necessary prior to conducting research of your own, it has increased the tendency for subsets of science to be taught in a confined space. The more that research contributes to our database, the more there will be an emphasis on specificity. Vertical depth is a prerequisite for doing research, but this is leading to somewhat of a downward spiral. BUT only if we allow it to become a disadvantage in adding to our understanding of the world! With a more profound grasp of science, there comes the inevitability of invoking various disciplines to understand another.
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Collaborations among those knowledgeable in their respective fields can be made more efficient as we begin to take interest in the "languages" of all disciplines and what they each have to offer!
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IN
Neuroscience
"Understanding the brain requires studying the environmental, biological, chemical, genetic, and social factors that continue to shape it."
- Moreno & Schulkin, The brain in context: a pragmatic guide to neuroscience 2020
"THE BRAIN IS ALL OVER THE BODY IN THE FORMS OF NEURAL TISSUES...UNLIKE SO MANY OTHER SOLID ORGANS, IT CAN'T BE ISOLATED IN EVEN A RUDIMENTARY SENSE...THE BRAIN ISN'T SIMPLY LOCALIZED, IT'S EXTENDED...SEE THE BRAIN IN ITS WHOLENESS...ALWAYS WITH AN EYE TOWARD HOW EXPERIENCE AND OUR INTERVENTIONS CHANGE IT."
- Moreno & Schulkin, The brain in context: a pragmatic guide to neuroscience 2020
Neuroscience is inherently interdisciplinary and draws on approaches from other disciplines to form an understanding of the brain and its functionality. The brain is to be looked in context, as it is perhaps a reflection of the societal influences in which it develops. The brain and the theories associated with it are certainly not isolated from the other organs of the body and the individual aspects of human life (ex. culture).
ADVANCE SCIENCE IN ALL DIRECTIONS
Discipline-specific expertise [Vertical Depth] + Brief knowledge of methodology & terminology used in various disciplines [Broad View] = Challenging frontiers in science via collaboration and discussion