Flat ontology as a philosophy for co-disciplinary research and decision-making in present times: A step towards transdisciplinarity

Abstract

"Relational perspectives" have been proposed since the 1990s as an alternative approach to the philosophical foundations of social sciences, rejecting hierarchical or binary modes of thought of conventional traditions and avoiding deficiencies of moderate theories. Emphasizing "complexity", "interconnectivity" and "uncertainty" of the world, these views provide accounts of human and social dynamics and processes of "becoming". The latest of these perspectives is "flat ontology" or "deep relationalism". This article provides a comprehensive account of the "flat ontology" concept, its key ideas, and fundamental assumptions through the Research Synthesis, and explores its contributions to co-disciplinary, often suffering from eclectic gaps and the absence of a coherent methodological framework. "Flat ontology" implies "relationality," "multiplicity," "heterogeneity," "contingency," and "spatiotemporality" of reality; and regards entities in a deeply relational way, as dynamic intertwined associations and configurations. This perspective proposes a fluid interpretation of "power", whether among humans or between human and non-human entities, and responds to critical concerns about the necessity of social and environmental inclusiveness. Recent global crises such as the Coronavirus pandemic and climate change confirm the validity of this perspective. According to this view, knowledge fields are deeply interconnected, underscoring the necessity of the co-disciplinary, including multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary. Furthermore, flat ontology redefines the philosophical foundations of the co-disciplinary, towards the transdisciplinarity. Applying such a perspective is important and necessary both in social sciences, which deal with social phenomena, and in public decision -making which prescribes generally in a co-disciplinary way.

Keywords

• becoming
• contingency
• deep relationalism
• homogeneity
• multiplicity
• relationality
• spatiotemporality