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Prerequisites for the formation of the system approach in Medieval philosophy

https://doi.org/10.21869/2223-1552-2026-16-2-229-237

Abstract

The relevance of the research is determined by the need for historical and philosophical development of the prerequisites of a systematic approach, which took shape as an independent methodological program in the middle of the 20th century. In modern science, there is a steady interest in identifying the origins of systems thinking, which is associated with the growing importance of interdisciplinary research and, as a result, with the need for a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of interdisciplinary synthesis and integration of scientific knowledge. In this regard, the appeal to the medieval philosophical tradition in order to identify implicit ideas about consistency seems to be a significant historical and philosophical task.
The purpose of the study is to identify the historical and philosophical prerequisites of systemic thinking in the teachings of Aurelius Augustine and John Scotus Eriugena.
Objectives: to identify the essential characteristics of the systemic approach that are subject to historical and philosophical reflection; to identify the prerequisites of systemic thinking in the philosophical legacy of Aurelius Augustine and Johann Scott Eriugena; to explicate their connection with the concepts of the representatives of the systemic approach of the XX century.
Methodology. The article describes the following methods: historical and philosophical reconstruction, source analysis, comparative analysis.
Results of the study revealed that the philosophical legacy of Augustine and Eriugena implicitly contains a number of fundamental systemic principles. The explication of these prerequisites has been carried out. In particular, it was revealed that in Augustine the principle of integrity is postulated in the doctrine of universal divine order, and the principle of hierarchy is in the idea of the structure of being, where each element is assigned a strictly defined place. Systemic principles also find their implicit expression in Eriugena's teaching on the "division of nature," in which the world is represented as a dynamic unity of creative and created principles.
Conclusions The principles of systems thinking in medieval philosophy are found in the legacy of Aurelius Augustine and John Scotus Eriugena. They mainly consist in striving to create a universal theocentric picture of the world, building a hierarchy of the universe, and represent an important stage in the genesis of systemic thinking.

About the Authors

E. I. Arepyev
Kursk State University
Russian Federation

Evgeniy I. Arepyev, Doctor of Sciences (Philosophical), Professor at the Department of Philosophy

33 Radishcheva Str., Kursk 305000



V. I. Puzyrev
Kursk State University
Russian Federation

Vladimir I. Puzyrev, Postgraduate at the Department of Philosophy

33 Radishcheva Str., Kursk 305000



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Arepyev E.I., Puzyrev V.I. Prerequisites for the formation of the system approach in Medieval philosophy. Proceedings of the Southwest State University. Series: Economics. Sociology. Management. 2026;16(2):229-237. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.21869/2223-1552-2026-16-2-229-237

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