Issue4 【加州阳光】from leaf 必回拍~

leaf99UID: 2174003

题目：ISSUE4 - "No field of study can advance significantly unless outsiders bring their knowledge and experience to that field of study."
字数：522          用时：1:15:00          日期：2006-7-24

Today's world presents itself as an increasing complex and interrelated web, which requires us to solve problems and find solution through the integration of knowledge and experience gained from various fields. I agree with the author on the point that the significant advancement of study becomes possible when researchers on a certain subject borrow knowledge and experience from other disciplines.

To yield profound findings, researchers have to realize the inextricable interplay among various fields. First, such interplay injects vitality into a growing body of disciplines. A classic illustration happens when mathematical tools were introduced into economics, economics began to evolve from a trivial subject to one with increasing impact on social advancement.  As the interplay and penetration among different fields increase, the boundary of a certain discipline becomes harder to define. This always puzzles school teachers when they have to give a clear definition of the teaching subject. Actually, it is impossible and unnecessary to clarify what literature, philosophy or physics are exactly about. On the contrary, if researchers confine themselves to a certain discipline, it is less likely for them to come up with any breakthrough. For instance, economic publications without any trace of mathematical analysis are generally considered as unconvincing and unreliable. Therefore, the interrelated and interdependent nature of all disciplines calls researchers to observe and study from different perspectives and levels.

Furthermore, scientific and technological breakthroughs always emerge long with the interaction among different disciplines. Just as the prestigious physicist Hisenbury said (and I paraphrase) that throughout the history of human thoughts, important findings are always achieved when two streams of different thoughts converge. One important illustration of this point is the phenomena of a growing number of co-authors from different academic disciplines. It becomes very common to find that academic publications are authored by more than one scholar, and more often, scholars from different discplines. For instance, the discovery of DNA structure in 1953 was a joint result of a biologist, a chemist and several physicists. It is not easy to yield profound research findings in any isolated discipline. With insights and assistance of other fields, the chances of yielding significant results become bigger.

The interaction among different subjects not only contribute to breakthroughs in a certain field, but also give rise to new research fields, known as the interdiscipline. These new disciplines always provide pet research topics in academia and become the front line of innovation and breakthroughs. For instance, when biology marries chemistry, they give birth to biochemistry, a prosperous subject that succeeds in attracting a growing number of scholars and researchers. Also the invention of telescope initiated in optics declared the age of telescopic astronomy. These new fields of study greatly expand human beings' research territory, preparing us for tackling more complicated and interrelated problems.

In conclusion, based on the interrelated and interdependent nature of all disciplines, it is unlikely for researchers to come up with significant findings on an isolated island of one single area. Therefore, significant advancement of study in one field is possible when researchers are able to conduct studies from an interdisciplinary perspective and borrow knowledge and experience from other disciplines.