Investigating the methodological foundations of Operations Research in the form of the categorical syllogism

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Assistant Prof, of Industrial Management, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

2 Prof. of Industrial Management, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

3 Associate Prof. in Public Administration, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

This paper is an attempt to investigate the methodological foundations of Operations Research schools including Hard, Soft and emancipatory. So, first some propositions are deduced in relation to each OR school and then the proposition of each methodological school in the philosophy of science are put in the position of major premiss and OR propositions are put in the position of minor premiss in the form of a categorical syllogism. Finally the methodological foundations of the minor premisses are deduced from the major premisses. According to Habermas, each methodological school in the philosophy of science is suitable for solving a special kind of problem. So clarifying the methodological foundations of OR schools would help management scientists to determine the suitable OR methodology for any special kind of problematic situation.

Keywords


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