Abstract

Disciplines have a way of imprisoning their creations. Entrenched in an incommensurable discourse, ideas grow stagnant. Whether ideas transcend this imprisonment is a matter of adapting, flexing, and mobilizing knowledge. This is the aim of Situating Science: Cluster for the Humanistic and Social Studies of Science. Promoting transdisciplinarity among researchers, stakeholders, and the public, the Cluster brings diverse groups of scholars to sit around a common table and discuss a common theme. My aim in this short review is to capture some of the central themes and discussions of two such workshops, one on empathy, the other evidence-based medicine. Both workshops provided a fascinating multidisciplinary perspective on topics that easily transcend disciplinary boundaries. Yet the divisions between participants were clear, leaving some discouraged about producing collaborative work. As both workshops boasted a broad range of speakers and participants, my challenge has been to identify common themes without diminishing or disregarding this multiplicity of perspectives. I have only sought to highlight some of the most thought-provoking ideas.