Interdisciplinarity and the Prospect of Complexity: The Tests of Theory

Abstract

William Newell's theory of interdisciplinary studies is a timely proposal since com- plexity is a keyword in contemporary descriptions of interdisciplinarity. Like any other theory, it is subject to a series of questions: (1) Is the theory generalizable, and is it reductive? (2) What relationship does it have to prior theories? (3) Does the theory drive practice, or vice versa? and (4) Is it fruitful? A weighing of these and related questions indicates that complex systems theory has heuristic value for conceptualizing interdisciplinary tasks and affirms crucial ele- ments in the integrative process. However, the technical restrictions cannot account for all phe- nomena that constitute interdisciplinarity, and the relationship to other theories needs to be as- sessed.