Introduction:
When we try to understand complex topics, relying on just one way of thinking—called a paradigm—might not be enough. Transdisciplinarity (or “fran-gari” in Persian) is an approach that mixes ideas, methods, and concepts from different paradigms to create a complete and unified understanding. Instead of sticking to only one viewpoint, it combines the best parts of many to get a clearer and more powerful insight.
What Is Transdisciplinarity?
Transdisciplinarity means going beyond a single paradigm. It looks at how different paradigms—each with their own ideas and methods—can work together. There are two main ways to think about it:
- As a collection of paradigms that exist side by side.
- As a big, unified framework that blends these paradigms into one strong theory.
This approach doesn’t just put different paradigms next to each other; it actively mixes their key ideas to build a new, bigger way of understanding things.
How Does Transdisciplinarity Work?
- Integration: It combines compatible parts from various paradigms into one clear framework. For example, in social sciences, it might merge ideas from structuralism and interactionism to better explain human behavior.
- Going Beyond: Sometimes, it moves past old paradigms and creates entirely new ones that solve previous contradictions—like how physics moved from classical mechanics to quantum mechanics and then to unified field theory.
- Alignment: It finds common ground among paradigms, interpreting them in a broader context. For example, blending behaviorism, cognitive science, and neuroscience to better understand how our minds work.
Transdisciplinarity encourages us to rethink basic assumptions of each paradigm, identify what they share, and use their differences as opportunities to grow and improve understanding. This way, instead of keeping many disconnected ideas, it offers a smooth, unified structure that helps us see the bigger picture more clearly.
By using transdisciplinarity, researchers and thinkers can create stronger, more complete explanations and solutions—because sometimes, the best answers come from joining forces rather than standing alone.