In this volume, the assumption that origins can be defined as a
hermeneutic paradigm in the humanities and in the sciences is explored
in relation to specific theoretical frameworks and research
methodologies. By investigating how origins have been conceptualised in
different domains of knowledge - biology, primatology, psychology,
linguistics, history of science, critical theory, classical studies,
philology, literary criticism, strategy and accounting - a double
movement has been generated: towards the very core of each discipline
and beyond disciplinary boundaries. Which are the most productive
theories and methods each discipline has elaborated for investigating
origins? Can they become trans-disciplinary? Which synergic enquiries
can be devised in order to expand and share knowledge? Explaining how
and why various disciplines have responded to such questions involves
delving into their histories and cultural ideologies in order to verify
whether the topic of origins can function as a powerful connector
between scientific and humanistic territories.
