Transdisciplinarity in the Humanities

A special issue of Humanities (ISSN 2076-0787). This special issue belongs to the section "Transdisciplinary Humanities".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2022) | Viewed by 30714

Special Issue Editors


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Department of Philosophy, University of Illinois Springfield One University Plaza, Springfield, IL 62703-5407, USA
Interests: machine consciousness; philosophy of mind; moral philosophy; political philosophy; business ethics; e-Learning in philosophy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

All research aims at gaining insight, knowledge, and also wisdom. The university is one of the central places where research is carried out, though there are, nowadays, also other sites, such as industry, private research entities, etc. The medieval university (Paris, Bologna, Montpellier, Salamanca, Oxford, Pisa, etc.) served the purpose of giving students a broad and deep education, and the modern university as established by Wilhelm von Humboldt (Berlin, 1810) has continued with this tradition, laying the foundation of what we call today General Education (Liberal Arts). Research and teaching go hand in hand, especially at the university, where we aim at educating the young generation about the latest research and at preparing students for their own future research. On the one hand, research means deep specialization; on the other, as is emerging very strongly at the moment, exploring new forms of synergies, collaboration, and thus transdisciplinarity.

In the sciences, this approach has already been well established, but this is only one side of the coin. Coming from the humanities, we are currently on the threshold of entering a new world wherein literary, artistic, philosophical, religious, and cultural studies are increasingly combined with medicine, artificial intelligence, mathematics, music, psychology, anthropology, and other research fields. In many ways, this appears to be a return to the medieval Trivium and Quadrivium, only now on a more elevated level. After all, ethics, morality, philosophy, human values, etc., have central importance in everything we do, and research specialization must never forget its social obligations.

This volume aims at exploring the principles of transdisciplinary studies, in the full awareness of the tentative but also profoundly inspiring nature of this new approach. What we need at the current moment would be intensive communication and exchange among the various players at universities or in research at large. Administratively, of course, there continue to be huge barriers to facilitating shared investigations between, say, neuroscience and German studies. The medical humanities, however, have already embarked on remarkable transdisciplinary collaboration with amazing results, and in this volume, we challenge our colleagues to think through the various possible avenues, methodologies, data sets and analyses on a new plane of investigation.

Some of the greatest intellectuals throughout history have always been, of course, entirely transdisciplinary in their outlook and thinking, and so we can only hope to become dwarves once again sitting on the shoulders of giants, to use a medieval trope. As dwarves in such a position, we are enabled to look further, to develop new ideas, influenced by researchers in different disciplines, and can thus hope to move forward in exploring innovative concepts about our natural and spiritual world. Both have always cooperated most intimately, and cannot really operate without the respective other, but modern research is only now beginning to rediscover those connections (for a sixteenth-century example, see, e.g., Paracelsus).

The current volume aims at initiating this new process of developing future-oriented synergies, as the two initial articles by Albrecht Classen and Piotr Bołtuć outline, each from a different perspective, and yet intriguingly sharing some central interests. After all, true research means the ever-growing exploration of new ideas, new concepts, new materials, and new comprehensions of what holds this world together, and what makes life worth living. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe expressed this already, in a somewhat clairvoyant manner: “Dass ich erkenne, was die Welt / Im Innersten zusammenhält” (Faust I, monologue). If we can use, for instance, a new mathematical formula to understand Rilke’s poems better, and if we can draw from Shakespeare’s plays to figure out mathematical problems, all sides will profit from each other.

Prof. Dr. Albrecht Classen
Prof. Dr. Peter Boltuc
Guest Editors

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Editorial

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15 pages, 1055 KiB  
Editorial
Transhumanities as the Pinnacle and a Bridge
by Piotr (Peter) Boltuc
Humanities 2022, 11(1), 27; https://doi.org/10.3390/h11010027 - 14 Feb 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3014
Abstract
Transhumanities are designed as a multidisciplinary approach that transcends the limitations not only of specific disciplines, but also of the human species; these are primarily humanities for advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI leading to AGI). The view that philosophy, ethics and related disciplines pertain [...] Read more.
Transhumanities are designed as a multidisciplinary approach that transcends the limitations not only of specific disciplines, but also of the human species; these are primarily humanities for advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI leading to AGI). The view that philosophy, ethics and related disciplines pertain to all rational beings, not solely to humans, is essential to the philosophy of Immanuel Kant. This approach turns out to be practical at the epoch of advanced AI. Many authors ponder how a kernel of ethical respect for human beings can be built into Artificial General Intelligence by the time it becomes a reality. I argue that the task requires, among other components, inculcating the core of the Humanities into advanced AI. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transdisciplinarity in the Humanities)
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21 pages, 365 KiB  
Editorial
Transdisciplinarity—A Bold Way into the Academic Future, from a European Medievalist Perspective and or the Rediscovery of Philology?
by Albrecht Classen
Humanities 2021, 10(3), 96; https://doi.org/10.3390/h10030096 - 10 Aug 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3203
Abstract
This essay examines the challenges and opportunities provided by transdisciplinarity from the point of view of medieval literature. This approach is situated within the universal framework of General Education or Liberal Arts, which in turn derives its essential inspiration from medieval and ancient [...] Read more.
This essay examines the challenges and opportunities provided by transdisciplinarity from the point of view of medieval literature. This approach is situated within the universal framework of General Education or Liberal Arts, which in turn derives its essential inspiration from medieval and ancient learning. On the one hand, the various recent efforts to work transdisciplinarily are outlined and discussed; on the other, a selection of medieval narratives and one modern German novel plus one eighteenth-century ode are examined to illustrate how a transdisciplinary approach could work productively in order to innovate the principles of the modern university or all academic learning, putting the necessary tools of twenty-first century epistemology into the hands of the new generation. The specific angle pursued here consists of drawing from the world of medieval philosophy and literature as a new launching pad for future endeavors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transdisciplinarity in the Humanities)

Research

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27 pages, 450 KiB  
Article
Edmond Picard and the Congo Free State: A Study in Law and Literature
by Bryant White
Humanities 2023, 12(1), 17; https://doi.org/10.3390/h12010017 - 2 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2973
Abstract
While the law and literature movement has treated a number of important texts, contexts, and figures from both spheres, surprisingly absent is the situation of Leopold II’s Congo Free State and the person of Edmond Picard. This article seeks to redress that absence, [...] Read more.
While the law and literature movement has treated a number of important texts, contexts, and figures from both spheres, surprisingly absent is the situation of Leopold II’s Congo Free State and the person of Edmond Picard. This article seeks to redress that absence, looking first at Edmond Picard as an important figure who represents both law and literature and analyzing a few texts directly related to colonialism in the Congo: specifically, his legal opinion Consultation délibérée and his travel narrative En Congolie. Then, we examine a few examples of Anglo-American literary resistance to Leopold’s project in the Congo before coming to some conclusions. This study seeks to demonstrate the way in which questions of law and literature are inextricably linked: legal texts pose problems common to literary texts, and vice versa. Interacting with the work of prominent law and literature scholars, such as Richard Posner, Richard Weisberg, and Robin West, we conclude that the two spheres ought not to be abstracted from one another, but rather be examined conjointly, the case of the Congo Free State offering a glimpse into how the two work hand-in-hand with real world consequences for human lives. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transdisciplinarity in the Humanities)
15 pages, 292 KiB  
Article
Tall Tales—Myth and Honesty in Tim Burton’s Big Fish (2003)
by Sylvie Magerstädt
Humanities 2022, 11(6), 138; https://doi.org/10.3390/h11060138 - 31 Oct 2022
Viewed by 3797
Abstract
Questions about the relationship between truth and fiction have a long history in philosophical thinking, going back at least as far as Plato. They re-emerge in more recent philosophical debates on cinema and are powerfully illustrated in Tim Burton’s 2003 film Big Fish [...] Read more.
Questions about the relationship between truth and fiction have a long history in philosophical thinking, going back at least as far as Plato. They re-emerge in more recent philosophical debates on cinema and are powerfully illustrated in Tim Burton’s 2003 film Big Fish, which narrates the story of Edward and his son Will, who tries to uncover the truth behind his father’s tall tales. Will’s desire for honesty—for facts rather stories—has led to a considerable rift between them. While the film extols the beauty of storytelling and the power of myth, it also raises questions about the relationship between honesty and myth, fact and fiction. This article explores these themes from a multidisciplinary perspective by drawing on diverse sources, including Friedrich Nietzsche’s Vom Nutzen und Nachteil der Historie für das Leben/On Truth and Lies in an Nonmoral Sense (1873), contemporary philosophical writings on fiction, the virtues of truthfulness, honesty and sincerity, as well as ideas on memoir and creative life writing drawn from literary studies. Overall, it argues for the positive, creative potential of storytelling and defends the idea that larger truths may often be found behind embellished facts and deceptive fictions. The final section expands this discussion to explore cinema’s power to create what Nietzsche called ‘honesty by myth’. Through the variety of background sources, the article also aims to demonstrate how ideas from multiple disciplinary contexts can be brought together to stimulate fruitful conversations on cinema, myth and the power of storytelling. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transdisciplinarity in the Humanities)
18 pages, 329 KiB  
Article
Authoritarian Politics and Conspiracy Fictions: The Case of QAnon
by Helen Young and Geoff M. Boucher
Humanities 2022, 11(3), 61; https://doi.org/10.3390/h11030061 - 16 May 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3670
Abstract
The hypothesis of this article is that, for its adherents, QAnon is truthful, rather than true; that is, it captures their perception of the way things typically happen, rather than picturing what really has happened—and it does this in a way that seems [...] Read more.
The hypothesis of this article is that, for its adherents, QAnon is truthful, rather than true; that is, it captures their perception of the way things typically happen, rather than picturing what really has happened—and it does this in a way that seems more vivid and complete than actual experience. Why that is the case can be explained in terms of the peculiar nature of fictional representations, combined with the capacity of imaginary worlds, to symbolize real-world concerns in ways that resonate with prejudices and preconceptions but escape direct censure. After reviewing the literature on the conspiracy movement, we argue for QAnon as a conspiracy story, rather than a conspiracy theory, and interpret that story as “structured like a fantasy”, giving imaginative expression to a set of social feelings and normative grievances that would otherwise not dare speak their own names. We conclude that QAnon is an authoritarian fiction centered on anti-Semitic conspiracy beliefs that disturbingly reprise key themes of fascism, but that it presents this within the symbolic disguise of a fantasy scenario that is calculated to attract alienated white, middle-class and working-class, individuals. This argument helps explicate adherents’ resistance to the falsification of Q claims and predictions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transdisciplinarity in the Humanities)
16 pages, 469 KiB  
Article
Buddhism and Humanities Education Reform in American Universities
by Jiang Wu and Robert Edward Gordon
Humanities 2022, 11(2), 46; https://doi.org/10.3390/h11020046 - 24 Mar 2022
Viewed by 3423
Abstract
Using statistical data, scholarly research, institutional models from higher education, and highlighting key personages from the academy and the business world, we argue that including Buddhism-related content into the general education of students can offer a powerful avenue of reform for the humanities [...] Read more.
Using statistical data, scholarly research, institutional models from higher education, and highlighting key personages from the academy and the business world, we argue that including Buddhism-related content into the general education of students can offer a powerful avenue of reform for the humanities in American universities. The article shows how humanities-based skills are becoming more desirable in today’s business environment, and demonstrates how the skills that Buddhist Studies—and religion more broadly—provide are consistent with those needed in today’s global and integrated technological world. Utilizing the Universities of Harvard and Arizona to help frame the discussion, the paper outlines the history of the American general education system, the ongoing crisis in the humanities, how Buddhism fits within the humanities viz. religion, and specific ways to implement Buddhism-related content into the academy domestically and internationally. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transdisciplinarity in the Humanities)
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7 pages, 191 KiB  
Article
Auditory Resonance: A Transdisciplinary Concept?
by Rolf J. Goebel
Humanities 2022, 11(1), 6; https://doi.org/10.3390/h11010006 - 27 Dec 2021
Viewed by 2674
Abstract
Focusing on the influential work of the German sociologist Hartmut Rosa, as well as on selected positions in sound studies, this essay explores some aspects of auditory resonance, an over-determined concept exemplified by music that no single conceptual framework can exhaustively explain. For [...] Read more.
Focusing on the influential work of the German sociologist Hartmut Rosa, as well as on selected positions in sound studies, this essay explores some aspects of auditory resonance, an over-determined concept exemplified by music that no single conceptual framework can exhaustively explain. For this reason, transdisciplinary research is especially productive in exploring the wide range of auditory resonance if it does not adhere to a seemingly all-inclusive theoretical self-definition but starts from an actual, singular experience. This subjective, even personal response to auditory resonance opens up various intersecting, supplementary, and often competing paradigms of critical analysis that interrogate any hegemonic claims to perspectives and insights potentially implied in single-disciplinary methodologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transdisciplinarity in the Humanities)
32 pages, 572 KiB  
Article
Fictional Narratives as a Laboratory for the Social Cognition of Behavioral Change: My Ajussi
by Lorenza Lucchi Basili and Pier Luigi Sacco
Humanities 2021, 10(4), 120; https://doi.org/10.3390/h10040120 - 15 Nov 2021
Viewed by 4959
Abstract
Fictional narratives cannot be considered as mere escapist entertainment, and have a significant social cognition potential. Their study is also important in understanding the mechanisms of behavioral change, as many fictions focus on processes of personal transformation of the main characters. Romantic fictions [...] Read more.
Fictional narratives cannot be considered as mere escapist entertainment, and have a significant social cognition potential. Their study is also important in understanding the mechanisms of behavioral change, as many fictions focus on processes of personal transformation of the main characters. Romantic fictions are of special interest in this regard, as the formation of a new couple entails negotiation and mutual adaptation between partners, with possible transformation of personal attitudes, value orientations, and behaviors: ‘marrying’ a new idea or cause is, tellingly, the strongest possible metaphorical statement of adoption. Korean TV series (K-dramas) are a particularly interesting source of case studies in this regard due to the specific characteristics of their production system. We analyze a K-drama, My Ajussi, where the lead characters go through a complex process of personal change, through the lens of the so-called Tie-Up Theory, which has proven useful in the analysis and interpretation of fictional representations of human mating processes, and show how the context provided by the potential formation of the couple between the two main characters provides us with valuable insights about human behavioral change and for policy design strategies to tackle societal challenges. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transdisciplinarity in the Humanities)
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