Alexander Bogdanov and the question of unity: An emerging research agenda

Şenalp, Örsan; Midgley, Gerald

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a research agenda to support the recovery of Alexander Bogdanov's philosophical and systemic thinking that culminated in his magnum opus, Tektology. Our main reason for doing so is to re-address enduring questions about the unity of science and the unity of the systems paradigm. Since the turn of the new millennium, there has been renewed interest in the ideal of the unity of science. General system theory (GST), cybernetics and complexity science are three significant intellectual sources inspiring this renewal. It is not unusual for these ideas to be grouped under the umbrella terms systems science or systems thinking, which are two ways to present a single systems paradigm, and we will explain why its “unity” is both necessary and problematic. Bringing Bogdanov's work back to address the unity question can help us to progress toward unity in diversity.

Citation

Şenalp, Ö., & Midgley, G. (2023). Alexander Bogdanov and the question of unity: An emerging research agenda. Systems research and behavioral science, 40(2), 328-348. https://doi.org/10.1002/sres.2923

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 23, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Jan 23, 2023
• Publication Date: 2023
• Deposit Date: Nov 27, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 24, 2025
• Journal: Systems Research and Behavioral Science
• Print ISSN: 1092-7026
• Electronic ISSN: 1099-1743
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 40
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 328-348
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/sres.2923
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4134232