ABSTRACT
Interdisciplinarity is widely believed to be one of the main sources of scientific creativity. It has been hailed as a driving force behind scientific discoveries and the emergence of new theories. Many contemporary initiatives seeking to promote interdisciplinarity — for instance the big EU research programs or the establishment of new university departments and research institutions — have been justifed by the assumption that it is the most efficient way to achieve really new and useful knowledge and meet grand societal challenges. But the idea that interdisciplinarity is the key to creativity is also under suspicion of being a cliché or even a myth. Some see the current strong drive towards interdisciplinary research as motivated more by political interests than by any real concern for scientific quality, or as based on wishful thinking rather than substantial evidence for the alleged positive effects.
