Human Ecology Leads Sociologists to Interdisciplinary Studies

Abstract

We can distnguish two types among the “interdisciplinary” sciences.The first types are such kinds of studies which analyze a certain subject from several different traditional points of viewe. The first type can safely be illustrated by “urbanology”. Urbanologists used to analyze urban phenomena from the stand points of urban sociology, urban geography, urban economics, urban history, etc.Indeed urbanology is interdisciplinary in a certain sense, but methodological integration of scinces mentioned above is not yet complete. The creation of “urbanological method itself” is still under discussions. It is not exageration to say urbanology today is mere an omnibus of traditional sciences.Urbanology today and several another sciences, whose subjects are clear but their proper methodologies are not nccessarlly clear, constitute the first type or primary stage of “interdisciplinary” sciences. The relation between traditional sciences and the primary “interdisciplinary” sciences is shown on Tab. 1, the traditionals on X coordinates, the “interdisciplinaries” on Y coordinates.The second sorts of “interdisciptionary” sciences are such that argue on the so called “non-linear” phenomena. The distinction between “linear” and “non-linear” is shown on Tab. 2. Any argument on “ non-linear” phenomenon is impossible without adsquate integration of traditional methods which have long been treating “linear” systems.And, as is well known, almost all the phenomena on the earth are the “non-linears”. Almost, all the scientists must treat “non-linear” phenomena. So it is the second type that can be regarded as “true” or more useful “interdisciplinary” science. (Even urbanology has to aim to cease to be the first type and to secure itself being the second type.)Obviously, the integral application of several traditional methodology is a hard work. How can we do our duties of methodological integration ? Remember there is hardly any science that have no concern with human beings or human behaviours. The common consciousness of almost all the scientists is that human beings exist, do something and have changed their surroundings.Every behaviour of human beings is itself a “non-linear” phenomenon. Observations on human behaviours or the effects left by human behaviours teach us how to deal with “non-linear” systems. Here we can find out the way to integrate several traditional sciences into a true “interdisciplinary” science.For the sociological studies, human ecology is not only an authodox contribution owing Park Burgess, etc., but also a key-word which leads sociologists to the “interdicsiplinary” studies.