The future of the sciences and humanities. Four Analytical Essays and a Critical Debate on the Future of Scholastic Endeavour

The arts and sciences evolve by specialisation and broadening of their scopes. Much innovation results from unusual combinations of views and techniques originating in widely different domains. However, stepping outside an established discipline entails the danger of ‘shallowness’, even if the primary challenge was a ‘deep’ integration problem. Acceptance of new departures requires recognition and understanding of what is involved, and this depends, among other things, on the adopted nomenclature of the insiders and the resulting perception by outsiders.Thus, current ways of referring to varieties of research and study - say, 'sciences' vs 'humanities' - often form obstacles to the appreciation of novel approaches. New views are necessary. But which angles must be considered?

P.A.J. Tindemans is the president of Global Knowledge Strategies & Partnerships of the Dutch Society of Sciences and Arts (OCW). A.A.Verrijn-Stuart is an emeritus professor of information science at the University of Leiden. R.P.W. Visser is a professor of natural science at the University of Leiden.