Fuzzy logic's diffusion in the study of business, the social sciences, philosophy, and medicine

摘要

The diffusion of innovations can be traced over time. Fuzzy logic constitutes one such innovation in the realm of academic research. I investigate to what extent fuzzy logic has diffused throughout the social sciences, business, medicine, and philosophy. The number of journal articles published on fuzzy logic in each field is measured as the degree to which fuzzy logic has been "adopted" by academic researchers. The results indicate that fuzzy logic has been adopted by at least a few researchers in each of the four academic disciplines. Researchers in business, and specifically in the area of operations, have published the greatest number of articles using fuzzy logic.