Mission

Humanity is confronted with problems so intricate that they cannot be grasped by the concepts and methods of a single field of knowledge—ranging from climate change to the ethical dilemmas of artificial intelligence, from the global management of pandemics to the quest for sustainable life in space. This article briefly recalls the historical transformation of the definition of science and argues that interdisciplinary knowledge production has become an epistemological necessity today. In this context, AnKa Publisher's journal portfolio is examined as a distinctive publishing model that institutionalizes interdisciplinary collaboration, opens up new domains of inquiry, and builds bridges between science and society. The study advances the thesis that the interdisciplinary approach is not merely an instrumental choice but a mode of production consonant with the inherent multidimensionality of knowledge itself.

1. Introduction: The Changing Face of Science and a Discussion on Its Definition

The question "What is science?" was born together with humanity's effort to understand itself and the universe, and it has been answered anew in every age. In ancient Greece, Aristotle defined science as "the knowledge of first causes and principles," and for him, science meant a certain and universal understanding of unchanging essence (Metaphysics, Book I). In the Middle Ages, this definition was situated within a theological framework; knowledge was seen as a means of comprehending the order created by God. However, in the 17th century, with Francis Bacon, science became an activity based on observation and experiment, one that interrogates nature and aims to act upon it. As Bacon argued in his famous Novum Organum (1620), science is now the art of "understanding nature in order to command it"—an understanding that opened the doors to modern experimental science.

Following this historical trajectory, two major ruptures occurred in 20th-century philosophy of science. Karl Popper proposed that the criterion distinguishing science from pseudoscience is falsifiability, maintaining that the more a theory withstands testing and resists falsification, the stronger it becomes (Popper, 1934). In contrast, Thomas Kuhn demonstrated that scientific progress is not cumulative but revolutionary; paradigms that dominate during periods of normal science are replaced by new paradigms during crises (Kuhn, 1962). According to Kuhn, science is not a linear approach to objective truth but a shift in the ways of seeing the world through different lenses.

What all these definitions share is the recognition that science is a systematic, critical, evidence-based, and social process of knowledge production. Yet in the 21st century, this process faces a challenge markedly different from those of the past: scientific problems are now inherently multidisciplinary; no single field can address the ecological, economic, sociological, and political dimensions of climate change on its own. For this reason, the redefinition of science necessitates an interdisciplinary orientation. This article, precisely by centering on this necessity, aims to discuss in depth the epistemological foundations, historical background, and future implications of interdisciplinary knowledge production, using AnKa Publisher as a case study.

2. Epistemological Foundations and Historical Background of Interdisciplinary Knowledge

The interdisciplinary approach aims to reach a level of understanding that no single discipline can achieve by bringing together the concepts, methods, theories, and findings of different disciplines (Klein, 1990). This differs from the multidisciplinary approach, which merely entails placing pieces of information side by side; interdisciplinarity requires an epistemological synthesis—that is, establishing new connections between different pieces of knowledge to form a shared conceptual framework.

2.1. Knowledge in the Age of Complexity and Uncertainty

The French thinker Edgar Morin's concept of complex thought is illuminating at this point. According to Morin, modern science is filled with phenomena that cannot be explained by reductionist and linear causal models; climate systems, financial markets, living organisms, and social movements are characterized by feedback loops, threshold effects, and unpredictability (Morin, 1977). In such an environment, trying to understand a phenomenon by reducing it to a single variable means disregarding a large part of reality. For instance, understanding the rate of spread of a pandemic requires more than the molecular biology of the virus; population mobility, healthcare system capacity, patterns of social behavior, and the effectiveness of public policies are equally decisive. Such multi-factor, multi-dimensional problems thus compel a joint effort from the natural sciences, the social sciences, and even the humanities.

2.2. The Emergence of New Fields of Knowledge and Paradigm Shifts

Historically, the greatest leaps in science have occurred at the intersection points of disciplines. In the 20th century, fields such as biochemistry, biophysics, neuroscience, cognitive science, and artificial intelligence emerged from the fusion of concepts and methods from two or more disciplines. Beyond being derivative fields, they generated new forms of inquiry. For example, the encounter between neuroscience and philosophy made the question "What is consciousness?" experimentally accessible, while the conjunction of artificial intelligence and ethics brought to the fore the question "Who bears responsibility in machine decision-making processes?" As noted in the comprehensive work The Oxford Handbook of Interdisciplinarity, edited by Frodeman, Klein, and Mitcham (2010), interdisciplinary work does not merely seek solutions to existing problems; it also expands the internal repertoire of questions within disciplines and leads to their reconfiguration. In this sense, the interdisciplinary approach is the engine of both new discoveries and epistemological innovations.

3. AnKa Publisher: An Institutional and Concrete Example of an Interdisciplinary Vision

AnKa Publisher is a pioneering platform that carries this epistemological transformation into the practice of academic publishing, going beyond traditional journal structures. The publisher's journal portfolio demonstrates that interdisciplinarity is not merely a theme but is placed at the center of its institutional identity. Each journal is structured around a specific interdisciplinary question and brings together researchers from different fields of expertise to address these questions in a multi-dimensional manner.

3.1. The Interdisciplinary Map of the Journal Portfolio

Among AnKa Publisher's journals, the Journal of NeuroPhilosophy (JNφphi) offers a groundbreaking forum that brings neuroscience and philosophy together to investigate the nature of the human mind and consciousness. The relationship between the brain's neural networks and subjective experience is examined in this journal through both experimental data and conceptual analysis. Similarly, CognextAI reciprocally interrogates cognitive processes and artificial intelligence systems; the similarities and differences between "machine learning" and "human learning" constitute the thematic backbone of this journal. HPlus, focusing on transhumanism and human enhancement technologies, opens discussions on topics such as biotechnology, neuro-prosthetics, and gene editing not only from the perspectives of engineering and medicine but also from ethics, law, and future studies.

When it comes to space research, the Mars Settlement journal comprehensively addresses all scientific, technological, biomedical, and socio-ethical issues from the exploration of the Red Planet to the transition to permanent settlement. This journal brings together a broad spectrum ranging from a rocket engineer's drawing board to a psychologist's analysis of crew dynamics, from a biologist's design of closed ecosystems to an international lawyer's debates on interplanetary law. Syntheses, which seeks synthesis in the natural sciences, undertakes the mission of building bridges between physics, chemistry, mathematics, earth sciences, and life sciences, integrating the findings of separate disciplines into a holistic picture. On the social sciences front, Syneris gathers dozens of sub-fields—including sociology, psychology, political science, economics, anthropology, education, communication studies, and cultural studies—within a single forum, enabling multi-dimensional analysis of social phenomena.

In historical and cultural research, Byzantina Nova moves the Eastern Roman Empire beyond classical historiography, reinterpreting its medicine, philosophy, art, and science through contemporary anthropological and archaeological methods. Neuropsychiatry Case Reports, which contributes directly to clinical practice, addresses rare and complex neuropsychiatric cases not merely as a diagnostic and therapeutic process but in an integrated manner with the patient's psychosocial context and life story. At the intersection of veterinary and human health, Feline Coronaviruses offers a holistic perspective ranging from the molecular biology of Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) to clinical treatment, from epidemiological surveillance to public health policies.

This panorama clearly shows that each of AnKa Publisher's journals is organized around a specific interdisciplinary problem and that addressing these problems from multiple expert perspectives has become an institutional policy.

3.2. The Distinctiveness of the Publishing Model and the Institutionalization of Collaboration

AnKa Publisher distinguishes itself from traditional academic publishing in three fundamental ways. First, the single-account, multi-role model. With a single registration, researchers can participate in all journals on the platform as authors, reviewers, or editors, thereby remaining in continuous interaction with colleagues from different disciplines. This model builds a lasting culture of collaboration, going beyond one-off events. Second, the open access policy enables the global dissemination of knowledge without geographical or institutional barriers, facilitating the participation of researchers, especially those from developing countries, in these interdisciplinary discussions. Third, the thematic niche strategy. Instead of broad and diffuse categories such as "general science" or "general social sciences," AnKa Publisher positions each journal around a specific and ambitious question, encouraging depth and pioneering contributions in that field.

4. Three Key Lessons on the Future of Interdisciplinary Science from the AnKa Publisher Example

The model established by AnKa Publisher offers important clues about how interdisciplinary science will take shape in the future. These clues can be grouped under three main headings.

4.1. The Scientist of the Future Must Be Equipped with "Transdisciplinary" Thinking

The researcher of the 21st century is expected not only to specialize deeply in their own field but also to develop an "intellectual translation" skill that allows them to understand the basic concepts of other disciplines and engage in dialogue with them. The studies published in AnKa Publisher's journals offer concrete examples of such a multi-lingual academic identity; a philosopher interpreting neuroscience data or an engineer integrating ethical principles into the design process is no longer an exceptional situation but is becoming the norm.

4.2. Interdisciplinary Work Necessitates Methodological Pluralism

To truly understand a problem, quantitative and qualitative methods, experimental and interpretive approaches, statistical models, and case studies may need to be used together. AnKa Publisher's inclusion of journals such as Syneris (social sciences) and Syntheses (natural sciences) under the same roof underscores the importance attached to this methodological pluralism. Future scientific publications will host studies in which different methods complement each other and are used in critical balance, rather than being dominated by a single method.

4.3. Science Cannot Be Abstracted from Its Social and Ethical Context

The existence of journals such as HPlus and Mars Settlement reminds us that dimensions of technological development such as ethics, law, culture, and social acceptance are also integral parts of scientific discourse. This approach brings science out from behind laboratory walls and reintegrates it with society. The scientific understanding of the future will carry a sense of responsibility that does not shy away from value-laden questions but instead places them at the center of the research agenda.

5. Conclusion and Evaluation

Throughout history, science has undergone continuous transformation in terms of its definitions, methods, and purposes. In this journey from antiquity to the present, every turning point has emerged as a response to the new problems and new knowledge needs encountered by humanity. In our current era, this transformation is perhaps taking its most radical form through interdisciplinarity. For neither the climate crisis, nor artificial intelligence, nor global health issues can be encompassed by the concepts and methods of a single discipline. This reality reshapes not only research methodologies but also the building blocks of academic publishing.

AnKa Publisher stands out as an active architect of this transformation, not merely a follower. Through its journals, it does not simply collect articles from different fields; by structuring each one around a specific interdisciplinary question, it instills in researchers the courage to ask new questions. The collaboration, transparent access, and thematic depth encouraged by the publisher present a promising model for the future of scientific production. Ultimately, interdisciplinary knowledge production is inevitable not only for generating better solutions but also for remaining more faithful to the very nature of science—that is, to the multi-layered, relational, and dynamic structure of reality. The scientists of the future will grow up on such platforms that transcend the boundaries of their own fields and will seek answers to humanity's greatest questions through collaboration, integration, and bold imagination.

References

• Aristotle. (4th century BCE). Metaphysics. (Trans. A. Arslan). (2008). İstanbul: Say Yayınları.

• Bacon, F. (1620). Novum Organum. (Trans. S. Özüdoğru). (2016). İstanbul: Türkiye İş Bankası Kültür Yayınları.

• Frodeman, R., Klein, J. T., & Mitcham, C. (Eds.). (2010). The Oxford Handbook of Interdisciplinarity. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

• Klein, J. T. (1990). Interdisciplinarity: History, Theory, and Practice. Detroit: Wayne State University Press.

• Kuhn, T. S. (1962). The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

• Morin, E. (1977). La Méthode 1. La Nature de la Nature. Paris: Seuil.

• Popper, K. R. (1934). The Logic of Scientific Discovery. London: Routledge.