There is the danger in the academic world that scholarship may become stunted when directed toward a limited discourse community.

Scholarly conferences and journals often strictly define who will attend or who will become an author. Each produces its own paradigm or conception of reality—and supports only those who share in this particular worldview.

A thinker or author admired—even worshipped—among one group of scholars may be entirely unknown to another group. Within organizations there are divisions, and within divisions, sections: Balkanization.

The Internet and World-Wide Web release us from these constraints—making it possible to overcome insularity. Interdisciplinarity on the Web does not require struggle. Rather, it is the natural way of being for authors who present their ideas in this milieu.

Can we develop concepts and theories that go beyond those embraced by each discourse community? Library of Social Science publishes contributions from every scholarly discipline, including Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, History, Religion, Philosophy and the Humanities.

Before the Internet, researchers found it difficult to communicate even with people in their field. One had to wait for a conference, or for the appearance of one’s article in a journal (often a year or more after it was written).

The Web facilitates the exchange of information and allows the building of relationships, quickening the pace of change. Scholars are able to break free of boundaries, allowing significant ideas to circulate around the world. What seemed an impossible dream—is now reality.