(12) Multidisciplinary, Multidimensional

For quite awhile governments, corporations, as well as academics

have pursued their interests via a multidisciplinary approach.  This

approach has superseded looking at an interest or topic just from the 

viewpoint of a single discipline.

This does *not* mean that analysts or scholars are now all generalists.

Rather it implies that they have to be more expansive in not only their

training but also in their outlook.

Probably, at least for some, there's also the multidimensional approach 

as well.  This applies engaging all our human capacities, not just logic

for example.  There's our intelligence, but also our intuition and insight.

There's that "gut feeling."  Smart people, past and present, have 

employed a multidimensional approach, even if they didn't know what

this might entail.

As for "seeking God," or at least questing after the "contours of God'

spiritually or scientifically, the multidisciplinary approach is more and

more being employed by serious scholars--specifically by theologians 

and religious studies academics.  

For example in the field of Biblical Studies, scholars examine ancient

scripture not only from the perspectives of their religion, but also via

cross-cultural studies and archaeology.  More insight and understanding

seem to follow.  Theologians, also, are now more inclined to look at 

not only the Book of Scripture but also the Book of Nature.  Some are

writing tomes combining Science and Religion, blending Natural

Theology with what once was considered Orthodox Theology.

There's "modeling" as well.  Systems Philosophy introduced the idea

of evolving second-order models out of the synthesis of first-order

models.  This kind of modeling is not only multidisciplinary in its

approach, but multidimensional in its tasking.

Overall, these new second-order models can make for far more

insightful--and sometimes more adventurous --studies when it comes

to the God quest.  Already employed here and now, there's little doubt 

these multidisciplinary and multidimensional approaches will be

employed in far more imaginative ways with hopefully far better results 

in the future.