By employing theoretical resources from sociology of science as well as science and technology studies (STS), and drawing on written sources and interviews, this thesis charts the development of fuzzy logic research in Japan. Overall, the development of fuzzy logic research in Japan is seen as a popularization process, in which three consecutive periods are identified with regards to the ways fuzzy logic reached a growing audience. In the first period, from the late 1960s to the late 1970s, fuzzy logic research was an academic undertaking, with mathematical manipulations the main way of conducting research. The theory of scientific organization is applied to analyze fuzzy logic research in this period, and in particular the koza (departmental chair) system, a feature of the Japanese academic system, is found to play an important role in the proliferation of fuzzy logic. The second period, spanning from the late 1970s to the late 1980s, saw an upsurge of applications of fuzzy logic to control engineering. Technical demonstration was a core activity in this period, and STS work on demonstrations and proofs is utilized to discuss the way in which fuzzy logic drew the attention of a growing audience. Finally, in the third period, spanning from the late 1980s to the early 1990s, fuzzy logic reached the general public by attracting wide coverage in mass media. The role the Japanese transliteration of the word ‘fuzzy’, ‘fajyi’, played in the promotion of fuzzy logic in this period is discussed. The influence of the word ‘aimai’, the indigenous concept that served for a time as the Japanese translation of the word ‘fuzzy’, and the perceived affinity between fuzzy logic and Japanese thought, is analyzed as well.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:653914 |
| Date | January 2009 |
| Creators | Lin, Tzung-De |
| Publisher | University of Edinburgh |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://hdl.handle.net/1842/24844 |
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