ABSTRACT
The discussion of disciplinary history sheds light on what have often been long and intricate conflicts over the demarcation of disciplinary boundaries, in particular between the biological and social sciences. Any attempt to cross the boundary between biology and the social sciences makes visible the connections and reveals the blind spots created by these disciplinary divisions. Past history is still present in the definition of concepts, the images created by them, and, above all, in the resistance to interdisciplinary interactions. For these reasons, awareness of the sources of potential misunderstandings can help focus attention on real, rather than spurious, disagreements.
