Author: Christie Tiberio

I want to focus on a particular area of interest within Chapter Five of Interdisciplinarity, “Science, Space and Nature” that brings up the quality of intuition within science. Now generally, the use of intuition is not necessarily encouraged by the ‘hard’ sciences, but I found an important section by scholar Henri Lefebvre that opens up a space for this connection. His interpretation of space is defined as an “Empty area…absolute, infinite res extensa {extended thing}, a divine property which may be grasped in a single act of intuition” (Moran 150). Lefebvre proposes that space is a concept to be ‘grasped in a single act of intuition,’ rather than defining space as a subjective thing. Basically he means that you just have to “get” the phenomena of space, understanding that it’s not just thoughts or words or subjects, but that space also connotes a feeling of some kind, a sense of something. Leaving room for interpretation of feelings and inner senses versus physical observation and recordings is not typical of the scientific world, which is why I wanted to point it out.

First of all, let me define intuition, so that we may continue on about how this observation relates to interdisciplinarity. According to Webster’s dictionary, intuition is “A natural ability or power that makes it possible to know something without any proof or evidence,” and “A feeling that guides a person to act a certain way without fully understanding why” (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intuition). It is an understanding that does not need to be understood, rather it is just “known.” Intuition is similar to space in this aspect, because intuition too has to be grasped, though ironically we must use intuition as a tool in order to grasp the meaning of itself. I would like to propose that using one’s intuition is an act of interdisciplinarity, drawing upon all inner energies to come to a particular conclusion about the external world.

Interdisciplinarity is an attempt to break down the walls of the separate disciplines within education, and instead, create a free-flow, on-going conversation between them. Joe Moran, author of Interdisciplinarity, tells us, “Within the broadest possible sense of the term, I take interdisciplinarity to mean any form of dialogue or interaction between two or more disciplines,” although “Level, type, purpose and effect of this interaction remain to be examined” (14). I’d like to point out here that he uses the term ‘sense’ in his broad definition, implying some form of faculty, and therefore a connection with intuition. It is my opinion that intuition is also a discussion between disciplines or even all subjects, though it is an immediate, inner dialogue between all previous knowledge, experiences and sensory data that transcends into one “knowing.”

To conclude, the act of using one’s intuition can be understood as an act of interdisciplinarity, combining all inner knowledge of separate subjects and experiences into a more whole response. In this way, it may be possible to discover the underlying language between disciplines, as well as strengthen any disparate bonds between them. Intuition may be accessed by anyone at any time, and no one needs to go out looking for it. It is an inherent tool to help make sense of the contrasting experiences we cling to, as well as a source of wisdom to draw upon in times of confusion. My hope is that intuition will not be buried deeper into the self in the desire to seek out connecting information.