Transdisciplinarity redivivus

At present there are over 8000 disciplines of which only some might be studied at academic level, and much more less in the pre-universitary education, especially after coming into effect of the Bologna program in Europe, so also in Romania. For solving various problems posed by contemporary society it is increasingly used inter-and multidisciplinarity. These two methodologies cover just a small part of the problems within society.

This is why transdisciplinarity targeting an approach beyond all disciplines, initiated by Jean Piaget and then by Basarab Nicolescu, has been largely spreading since the beginning of 1970's. The best evidence is the new education law which introduced transdisciplinarity as a baccalaureate discipline.

The conference on " Implementation in Inter-and Transdisciplinary Research, Practice and Teaching" took place at Geneva between 15-17 September 2010. I was invited for giving the  talk "Transdisciplinarity perspectives in Romania (for summary see here), written from three perspectives: my interests in astronomy education at international level as well as the new education law in Romania, and also based on my experience gained in transdisciplinarity in the past years.

The Geneva conference was organized by a transdisciplinary research network of the Swiss Academy of Sciences. It was the meeting point of a large community of participants (editor's note: td-net, Network for Transdisciplinary Research).

There were subjects of debate many aspects, from environmental and education to architecture and very early education.

Firstly, I have presented the experience of Romania. Transdisciplinaruty might have one of the broadest application in astronomy. And this because there are many disciplines involved in this complex science. I have submitted this idea with the hope that astronomy will be again introduced in the curriculum with the help of the new methodology, and also, maybe, opening a new field of research. For example,  I've discussed with Thierry Courvoisier, the new chairman of the European Astronomical Society and member of the Swiss Academy of Sciences, how astronomers can join the transdisciplinary research network for studying the environment.