NBIC - Interdisciplinarity? A Framework for a Critical Reflection on Inter- and Transdisciplinarity of the NBIC-scenario

Abstract

Interdisciplinarity is one of the most popular buzzwords used in contemporary knowledge politics. However, at the same time, the term is not well defined. In order to clarify its meaning, this paper classifies different kinds of interdisciplinarity. The aim is to show which specific kind of interdisciplinarity is involved in the NSF-NBIC-scenario on convergence technologies. It will be shown that the NBIC-scenario is based on a "realconstructivistic object-interdisciplinarity" that is the implicit basis for recent NBIC-knowledge politics. This type of interdisciplinarity will be explicated and contrasted with the research program of the European Union that widens the circle of convergence (Converging Technologies for the European Knowledge Society/CTEKS; Initiative of the European Commission). It will be shown that the main difference between the two programs on convergent technologies is object-interdisciplinarity on the one hand and problem-oriented-interdisciplinarity on the other hand.