Can an interdisciplinary field contribute to one of the parent disciplines from which it emerged?

TL;DR

This paper explores whether interdisciplinary fields like econophysics and sociophysics can contribute back to their parent disciplines, physics and economics, highlighting a historical two-way influence.

Contribution

It provides a historical and philosophical analysis of the bidirectional influence between physics and economics through interdisciplinary fields.

Findings

Long history of mutual influence between physics and economics.

Interdisciplinary fields facilitate ongoing two-way contributions.

Future contributions of econophysics and sociophysics are likely to continue.

Abstract

In the light of contemporary discussions of inter and transdisciplinarity, this paper approaches econophysics and sociophysics to seek a response to the question -- whether these interdisciplinary fields could contribute to physics and economics. Drawing upon the literature on history and philosophy of science, the paper argues that the two way traffic between physics and economics has a long history and this is likely to continue in the future.