Note on the Fragmentation of Disciplines
It has been observed by many that the social sciences
are handicapped by, amongst other things, a reluctance
to co-operate with each other: The disciplines are
watertight compartments. This involves a comparative
sterility, especially in view of the demands of
society for the treatment and solution of certain pro
blems which require interdisciplinary co-operation.
It seems to me that the situation is not getting
better, in fact, worse, since there is a tendency to
split the traditional disciplines, like sociology
and economics, further into equally watertight com
partments .
An example of this is the development of econometrics
into a subject of its own. The need for specialisation
can not be questioned, but the split which occured
here is far greater than can be justified by functional
considerations. The fact is that these two groups,
economists and econometricians, have developped into
closed sets which communicate very little (the jour
nals reflect this division) and which share few
interests. The econometricians care little for eco
nomic policy or for the collection and careful inter