The Epistemology of Complexity and Doing Interdisciplinarity

Complexity is now well established as the driver of interdisciplinarity, but what this means for how knowledge is ‘done’ within Interdisciplinary Studies has not been well developed. This paper examines the theory of complexity and unpacks its epistemological implications for doing interdisciplinary work. The epistemology of complexity demands a cognitive toolkit that includes such things as open-mindedness, tolerance of uncertainty and ambiguity, and intellectual courage. This paper draws out these connections and suggests implications for curriculum development in Interdisciplinary Studies