MIKHAEL LEMOS PAIVA

Our aim is to critically analyse Friedrich Engels' philosophy through the prism of contemporary systemism. To this end, we have proposed four stages, three of bibliographical study and a final stage of synthesis: 1) investigate the original General Systems Theory (GST); 2) apprehend the branch of systemism that is absolutely opposed to Engels; 3) apprehend the branch of systemism that sees Engelsianism in a positive light. 4) Promote an original critical synthesis of Friedrich Engels and his philosophy, from the perspective of contemporary philosophy of science and Marxism. We have completed the first stage of the research so far, where we studied Bertalanffy and his canonical work "General System Theory" and applied GST empirically using the ‘SIR’ epidemiological model. Our preliminary results point to a major ontological and epistemological divergence between Friedrich Engels and GST, as well as the acute insufficiency of systemic mathematical models when faced with real situations and phenomena. We will continue the project by studying contemporary systemism, with an emphasis on the work of Mário Bunge - a fierce critic of Engels and a prominent emergentist.