(Association for Interdisciplinary Studies, 1996) Bailis, Stanley; Newell, William H.
This essay explores the methodology and discursive style of pioneering interdisciplinarian Lewis
Mumford. Widely acknowledged as one of the most influential scholars of the century, Mumford deployed a richly
textured "mixed" discourse, incorporating special guiding metaphors of "the city" and "the organism" to enhance
his interpretive range and power. He sought to demonstrate how the disciplines could be brought into cooperation
through the mediation of the generalist, and to explore the rigor necessary to this process. In doing so, he achieved
an effective interdisciplinary--as opposed to transdisciplinary--approach, embodied in an impressive number of
major and minor works. Mumford provides us with a model of successful interdisciplinary effort, and with a sense
of the new intellectual community this effort makes possible.