New axiomatic approach to the concept of grey information

Abstract

Purpose Considering current development of Grey Systems Theory (GST), we can come up with the following thesis: practical applications are a dominant subject of research. Thus, what seems to be symptomatic for relatively young knowledge disciplines, the authors observe the presence of imbalance between the development of GST application tools and theory’s epistemological and methodological background. As for GST, epistemological and methodological problems are becoming visible especially in the issues of determining a clear criterion of demarcation of this kind of a theory from others. In other words, this problem can be reduced to the issue of a precise determination of what the category of a grey system and grey information is. This problem is of great importance for further development and popularisation of GST in the world of science. Realising its significance, the purpose of this paper is to create a general overview of Grey Systems epistemology and afterwards create axiomatic and formal frames for a category of greyness. Design/methodology/approach In order to achieve set goals, two research approaches were accepted. In the area of inference about epistemology of GST an approach characteristic of an analytical philosophy was used, whereas in the case of axiomatic and formal frames for a category of greyness the authors referred to terms of a set theory and the principles of a pragmatic logic. Findings The result of research is to formulate a concept of a grey system and a concept of grey information in the context of a process of cognition. Moreover, a function of greyness and other fundamental categories of GST will be defined in an axiomatic way. Originality/value The paper presents a new consistent frame for the issues of methodological and epistemological backgrounds of GST. An original concept is to refer in considerations to a newly proposed grey space. This space was used for a formal justification of such elementary categories as grey numbers, a weight function of whitenization or grey sequences. The value of achievements shown in the paper is underlined by the fact that proposed theoretical constructions require further development and they can potentially open up new research trends in the GST.