Healthearth Network - Newcastle, Australia
Theory - Transdisciplinarity

Transdisciplinarity

Health problems exist beyond the boundaries of all disciplines, in the realm of “transdisciplinary space”. Transdisciplinary (TD) thinking involves the synthesis of diverse fields of knowledge and multiple methods to form a creative understanding of the interrelated complexity inherent in human existence in the natural world. It acknowledges that human society and complex natural systems are inseparable: humans are the major force acting on living and non-living systems of the planet.

TD  thinking about health provides a comprehensive description of the total health context: physical, biological, behavioural, social and ecological 

TD thinking involves:

·        Synthesising diverse fields of knowledge

·        Open-ended collaboration between disciplines

·        Seeking new “common” conceptual framework

·        Problems analysed at multiple levels

·        Quantitative and qualitative methods are combined