Aseeva I.A., Mayakova A.V. Philosophical Grounds and Methodological Resources of the New Paradigm of Complexity

Abstract: In their articles Aseeva and Mayakova examine the systems approach and the theory of complexity based on the research 'Complexity and Philosophy' of 2007 conducted by foreign scientists Frencis Heylighen, Paul Cilliers and Carlos Gershenson and published by the British publishing as 'Complexity, Science and Society' (Radcliffe, Oxford). The research was presented in mass media in English and adapted by the authors of the present article. In this article they analyze the prerequisites for creating the systems (interdisciplinary) approach and the theory of complexity and trace back the historical development of the new paradigm of complexity focusing on its philosophical grounds. In their research the authors of the article have used the methodology of postnonclassical science and the theory of complexity as the most universal meta languages used for describing complex self-developing systems. An important element of the methodological tools applied in the article is the analysis of foreign discourses on the theory of complexity and philosophical concept of quality. The main conclusions of the research are the following: the authors defined the grounds for the modern theory of complexity, described the main categories and parameters of the theory of complexity and formulated the central paradigm of this science. Thus, the theory of chaos and quantum mechanics have thrown down a challenge to determinism. Reductionism has been replaced with the systems theory based on scientific holism. Cybernetics and post-modernist social studies have demonstrated that knowledge is subjective. These premises have all been gathered under the title 'science of complexity'. The central paradigm of this science is the system of the multi-agent. Subjectivity and doubts are attributive to agents and their local interactions create the global organization. The novelty of the research is caused by the fact that the authors provide 'qualitative' argumenation of the main provisions of the theory of complexity as well as integration of the ideas of different philosophers, in particular, post-modernists, that create the basis for further assimilation of the paradigm of complexity in philosophy. According to the authors of the article, this would cast light on the existing philosophical issues such as origin of the universe, organization of the society, structuralism of items and phenomena. The research has been supported by the Russian Science Foundation (the project No. 15-18-10013). 

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