A Reflexive Framework for Comparing Soil Concepts Across Disciplines

Soil science integrates multiple disciplinary traditions that investigate the same material system while relying on distinct concepts, parameters, and measurement practices. As a result, soil properties that are often treated as well-defined material properties may acquire different scientific meanings, which can limit their comparability and lead to ambiguity when applied across mineralogical, pedological, biogeochemical, and engineering contexts. This paper introduces a reflexive analytical framework for examining how soil concepts are defined, represented, and used across disciplinary practices. The framework is structured around three interrelated dimensions—object, mediation, and subject—and is organized into a 3×3 analytical matrix that clarifies how soil-related concepts are described, explained, and operationalized within scientific work. The framework is first articulated at the level of soil science as a whole and is then applied to two widely used soil properties: soil organic carbon and shear strength in geotechnical engineering. These applications demonstrate how quantities commonly treated as intrinsic material properties depend on specific definitions, classification schemes, models, and measurement practices. The results highlight that differences in interpretation across disciplines may arise not only from technical factors, but also from differences in how soil properties are defined and used. By making these differences explicit, the framework provides a conceptual basis for clearer cross-disciplinary communication and more robust interpretation of soil data. This is particularly relevant for interdisciplinary contexts such as sustainability and soil security, where consistent integration of soil knowledge is essential.