Strategy as a fundamental science: theoretical-methodological justification

Abstract

Modern society and era are characterized by a series of systemic transformations in changing status of science, which leads to changing organization principles of the whole society. Development of modern methods of investigating the behavior of big socio-economic systems is based on creating their artificial analogues and imitational models of processes taking place in it, for example, with the usage of agent-based approach. Social sciences, including strategy as a science are not an exception here, gradually becoming closer to natural sciences both in tools and methodology principles, relying on interdisciplinary of researches and defining necessity of creating artificial societies and virtual worlds (metauniverses) as research models of real society and economy. Strategy as a relatively new science is not an exception in a sphere of creating new terminology and using research tools that need conceptual elaboration of independent agents’ behavior models that have a set of individual properties, as well as existing conditions of these agents (environment factors) and behavior rules, to which the agents obey. With certitude of practical orientation of strategy as a science, proved by series of historical and economical events, its fundamentality needs to be substantiated. In a cycle out of two articles, an attempt to substantiate strategy as a fundamental science, defining agents behavior as central units of artificial societies modelling, based on research of its philosophical roots and theoretical-methodological is made, which is a goal of this research. The second work is presented. As results of this second article, strategy is researched from a fundamentality position, for substantiation of this such key theoretical-methodological characteristics as: (1) content of “science” definition and its structural elements – scientific problem, facts, hypothesis, study, law; (2) distinctive features of science – purposefulness, evidentiary, versatility, consistency, objectivity, presence of a special terminology, methodology, observability of objects and phenomena, presence of paradigm, results, social and practical significance; (3) presence of terminology – general and specific (strategy, formal strategy, strategizing, strategist, object of strategizing, strategical management, strategical plan, artificial societies, agent-based approach).