The Study of the Logistics Ontology by the Historical-Genetic Method

Abstract

The objective of the study is to establish the origin and evolution of the term «logistics», understood as management of material flows and stocks. The historical-genetic method and content analysis were used in the study of available sourcesThe inconsistency of assumptions about the origin of the name «logistics» in the modern interpretation from ancient Greece and the Byzantine Empire is shown. There is also no connection between the mathematical logic developed by Leibniz and the content of logistics in economics and military affairs. The illegitimacy of explaining the evolution of the term «logistics» by random coincidences of words that are homonyms and related to different historical eras and countries has been established.The priority of G. V. Jomini in formulation of the principles of logistics in his works on the art of war, written after emigration to the Russian Empire, is confirmed. Due to the spread of Jomini’s works in the countries of the world, logistics began to develop in its modern form, initially in the military sphere, and then in economic activity.The reasons that led to intensive development of logistics during the Second World War and in the post­war period are systematized. Differences in priorities during these periods in the countries of the world are studied. Two main trends were identified, one of which was to use the competitive advantages of logistics in a market environment, and the other to ensure spatial connectivity and transport accessibility of territories.