DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ENG.2016.03.001.

Summary
Statistics show that there are currently about 8530 definable disciplines and fields. Since there is no systematic logic connecting all these disciplines and fields, it is difficult to see the intrinsic relationships among different aspects of knowledge. In addition, although the detailed classification of disciplines, fields, and their branches certainly has a positive influence on the initial stages of their development, it can imperceptibly lead to isolation between disciplines and fields in later stages of development. Such isolation builds barriers to the future development of Science and Technology.
While new challenges in human sustainable development demand solutions, people have gradually realized that some problems in nature, engineering, social science, and humanity itself cannot be solved based on currently available knowledge. Reductionism focuses on details at smaller and smaller scales, while holism emphasizes global behaviors. Bridging these two perspectives is still not possible. As a result, it is difficult to establish correlations between different levels of a system or between different scales on the same level, severely limiting human capability in sustainable development and presenting challenges to natural and social science.
Much of the research pays attention to element scales (reductionism) and system scales (systems thinking), neglecting the important rules governing the intermediate scale, named mesoscale. In recent years, the concept of mesoscience has brought attention to this issue. It is believed that the mesoscale problems on different levels for different fields might obey a common physical principle that can be formulated by a unified mathematical framework. If this concept is confirmed across various disciplines, it will develop into a transdisciplinary science.

Relevance for Complex Systems Knowledge
Transdisciplinarity and the integration of different disciplines are believed to be the main path to new breakthroughs in science and technology. J. Li proposes a new transdisciplinary approach to investigate Complex Systems: the mesoscale approach. If the reductionist approach consists in analyzing the properties of all the elements of a system, and the systemic approach consists in analyzing the features of the overall system, the mesoscale approach promotes an analysis at an intermediate scale. This approach can bring benefits in the description of Complex Systems and in promoting sustainable development.

Point of Strength
This publication is worth reading because it proposes the mesoscale approach as an alternative methodology for investigating Complex Systems.