THE INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDY OF VIABILITY

Abstract

This paper analyses the concept of viability in scientific areas of conservation biology, medicine, management, mathematics and philosophy. It is an interdisciplinary study in the perspective of convergence that seeks a better understanding of the concept by analyzing the concept in different areas. The viability concepts considered were population viability analysis in conservation biology, fetal viability in medicine, business viability study in management, viability theory in mathematics and viability criterion in philosophy. The analysis is performed providing a definition for each viability concept and associated methodology, followed by a comparison between the different definitions and methods to determine resemblances and differences between them. Resemblances between the several viability concepts are a perception of the future based on a conception of the world. Differences between the several viability concepts exist in the conceptions of the world and in the moment of time for which the viability is assessed. The conceptions of the world present differences on whether or not they are constituted by pre-defined elements of analysis, being the analysis elements quantitative or qualitative and if proposes new kinds of realities that depend on human action. The moment of time, for which the viability is assessed, can differ between the present and a moment of time in the future.