合法性视角下新兴交叉学科形成演化机制研究——以合成生物学为例

On the Formation and Evolution Mechanism of Emerging Interdisciplines from the Perspective of Legitimacy:Taking Synthetic Biology as an Example

当前,受社会需求拉动和科学发展规律影响,学科交叉融合已成为学科体系演化的长期趋势。在原有学科体系框架下获得合法性,是新兴交叉学科得以快速成长的必要条件。在三十多年的发展历程中,合成生物学的合法性获取涉及认知合法性、规范合法性、规制合法性三个层次,呈现合法性诉求与合法性获取策略的高度适配。学科形成过程可分为萌芽期、成长期和成熟期三个阶段,合法性获取整体呈现从无到有、从初显到扩散、最终固化的阶段性演化趋势,多种合法性策略的综合运用推动学科合法性实现了范围上的扩散和程度上的加深。本文基于纵向案例研究,提供了新兴交叉学科合法性获取框架,有利于更好认识学科合法性诉求的阶段性变化,也为优化政府学科管理制度和院校学科治理体系提供理论支持。

Driven by social demand and influenced by the law of scientific development,interdisciplinary integration has become a long-term trend in the evolution of disciplinary system.Gaining legitimacy under the framework of the original discipline system is a necessary condition for the rapid growth of new interdisciplines.In over 30 years of development,the legitimacy acquisition of Synthetic Biology involves three levels:cognitive legitimacy,normative legitimacy and regulative legitimacy,exhibiting a high degree of adaptability between legitimacy demands and legitimacy acquisition strategies.The evolution of an academic discipline can be divided into three stages,namely the germination stage,the growth stage and the maturity stage.The overall legitimacy acquisition shows a phased evolution pattern,with the germination stage marking a start from scratch,the growth stage defining a period from initial appearance to proliferation,and the maturity stage depicting a phase of final solidification.The comprehensive application of legitimacy strategies facilitates to obtain legitimacy of an academic discipline in both breadth and depth.Based on the longitudinal case study,this paper offers a framework for obtaining legitimacy of emerging interdisciplines,and provides theoretical support for improving the governmental regulations and management system in higher education institutions.