Interdisciplinary epistemology
R. Moussavi Khorshidi; M.H. Sharifzadegan
Abstract
"Relational perspectives" have been proposed since the 1990s as an alternative approach to the philosophical foundations of social sciences, rejecting hierarchical or binary modes of thought of conventional traditions and avoiding deficiencies of moderate theories. Emphasizing "complexity", "interconnectivity" ...
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"Relational perspectives" have been proposed since the 1990s as an alternative approach to the philosophical foundations of social sciences, rejecting hierarchical or binary modes of thought of conventional traditions and avoiding deficiencies of moderate theories. Emphasizing "complexity", "interconnectivity" and "uncertainty" of the world, these views provide accounts of human and social dynamics and processes of "becoming". The latest of these perspectives is "flat ontology" or "deep relationalism". This article provides a comprehensive account of the "flat ontology" concept, its key ideas, and fundamental assumptions through the Research Synthesis, and explores its contributions to co-disciplinary, often suffering from eclectic gaps and the absence of a coherent methodological framework. "Flat ontology" implies "relationality," "multiplicity," "heterogeneity," "contingency," and "spatiotemporality" of reality; and regards entities in a deeply relational way, as dynamic intertwined associations and configurations. This perspective proposes a fluid interpretation of "power", whether among humans or between human and non-human entities, and responds to critical concerns about the necessity of social and environmental inclusiveness. Recent global crises such as the Coronavirus pandemic and climate change confirm the validity of this perspective. According to this view, knowledge fields are deeply interconnected, underscoring the necessity of the co-disciplinary, including multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary. Furthermore, flat ontology redefines the philosophical foundations of the co-disciplinary, towards the transdisciplinarity. Applying such a perspective is important and necessary both in social sciences, which deal with social phenomena, and in public decision -making which prescribes generally in a co-disciplinary way.
Reza Akbarinoori; Raziyeh Mosavikhorshidi; Mohammadreza Golaij
Abstract
From the late 1960s, a fundamental shift took place from Modernism to Post-Modernism in art and aesthetic fields: "post-modernism as a movement against the simple functional art and design styles of modernism".Some described this movement as a "conservative reaction of modernism to itself". Basically, ...
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From the late 1960s, a fundamental shift took place from Modernism to Post-Modernism in art and aesthetic fields: "post-modernism as a movement against the simple functional art and design styles of modernism".Some described this movement as a "conservative reaction of modernism to itself". Basically, post-modernism as a "part of modernism" is considered as an outcome and result of modernism which stood against modernistic beliefs and thoughts.From the fundamental tenets of post-modernism which shape its other branches, one can mention to: belief in difference, diversity and pluralism, criticism of common scientific methods and rationalism, negation of any meta-narrative and any all-encompassing universal theory. Post-modernism, as to other fields of social science, has also affected urban planning from the late 1980s and caused change in the commonly applied views, processes, results, principles and methods and, in short, in the thinking and practice of planning. Post-modernist planning is depicted as a severance from modernist intellectual tradition. Such a view insists on two significant distinctions between modernist paradigm of urban planning and post-modernist paradigm: first, epistemological basis of planning, and, second, application of normative values and theory in planning. Today, post-modernist approach is prevailing in all levels of plans, even unconsciously, and often as a part of them, and forms their strategic visions, goals, priorities and their outlines. The present research aims to examine post-modernist approach in planning from different aspects.
