Philosophy of/and interdisciplinarity

Abstract

This talk will explore the challenges and the necessity of interdisciplinary work, especially in the fields of environmental studies. It will also argue for the relevance and applicability of philosophy, and illustrate why and how philosophical themes are central to questions of interdisciplinarity, both in the domains of the natural and social sciences. it has often been remarked that philosophy functions as the foundational discipline for the social sciences and humanities, just as mathematics is the foundational structure for physics. However, the ways in which philosophy and mathematics are 'applied' differ in some aspects. One of the contentious point of difference between the natural and social sciences lies in the claim of rigour and proof in the former in comparison to the latter - how do these conflicts impact a discipline like environmental studies?

Brief bio:

Sundar Sarukkai was the Founder-Director of the Manipal Centre for Philosophy & Humanities (MCPH), Manipal University, India from 2010-2015 and was at NIAS from 1994-2009. He is the author of the following books: Translating the World: Science and Language, Philosophy of Symmetry, Indian Philosophy and Philosophy of Science. His recent books include What is Science? (published by the National Book Trust) and The Cracked Mirror: An Indian Debate on Experience and Theory (co-authored with Gopal Guru, Oxford University Press), as well as co-editor of three volumes on logic. He is an Editorial Advisory Board member of the Leonardo Book Series on science and art, MIT Press; the Series Editor for Science and Technology Studies, Routledge and the Chief Editor of the Springer Handbook on Indian Logic.