Discretization Method for Describing Complex Objects that are Difficult to Formalise

Abstract

The emergence of complex, hard-to-describe objects is a characteristic trend in modern science. To build a model of such an object, its preliminary description is required, which is a rather serious problem. Therefore, the search for methods to describe such objects is an urgent task. For physical objects, this process is well described and researched. For complex, difficult to formalize non-physical objects, the emergence of which is often caused by the development of society, such approaches are absent. The article presents the results of a discretization method developed by the authors based on the approach of M. Bunge to describe complex, difficult-to-formalize objects that occur in many economic, social, environmental and other systems. The sources of the study are scientific works of leading Ukrainian and foreign scientists, general scientific methods of cognition (analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, method of analogies, etc.), as well as special methods of analysis: hypothetical-deductive, logical, structural. It is established that the method of discretization for describing complex objects allows to move on to modelling complex socio-economic processes. The article defines the concepts of the quasi-physical world and quasi-physical objects introduced by the authors; it is substantiated that the study of the quasi-physical world should be accompanied by the study of quasi-physical objects, which differ from physical objects in that they are specially constructed objects. The article provides examples from various subject areas where the concept of a quasi-physical (synthetic) object plays a major role, and provides a generalized description of such an object. It is proposed to use the quasi-physical approach to analyze the problems of solid waste disposal and assess the general condition of an enterprise (company). It is noted that the author’s approach will help scientists: (i) more accurately define the scope of research; (ii) specify the object and subject of research, structure its characteristics and, on this basis, put forward hypotheses and set research objectives; (iii) better understand what knowledge and assumptions underlie the object under study and how they are interrelated, as well as clearly formulate the problem and purpose of the research; (iv) choose relevant procedures and methods to achieve the goal when analyzing data.