Definition of the Essence of the Meta-scientific Concept of “Compliance” by Methods of Synchrony and Diachrony

In order to identify a number of socio-philosophical aspects and foundations, this article examines the modern metascientific concept of “compliance” using linguistic methods developed by Ferdinand de Saussure. The first part presents the key principles of the theory of the linguistic sign and describes two main methods of studying it: synchrony and diachrony. The second part substantiates the extrapolation of linguistic methodology to philosophical research. In the third part, the term “compliance” is examined as a linguistic sign in its diachronic aspect: from the emergence of its root in Proto-Indo-European to subsequent stages of historical transformation of the content of the “signified” in Latin, Vulgar Latin, Old French, and English. The original use of the concept in English is identified in social and religious contexts as voluntary or forced submission to authorities, political circumstances, social norms, diplomatic agreements, canons of faith, etc. Synchronic data is then provided on the current connotations of the term “compliance” in medicine, economics, engineering, law, computer science, and other sciences. A contemporary trend in the application of this concept in religious studies is identified, described as a return to its origins. This example confirms F. de Saussure’s principle of the arbitrariness of the relationship between signifier and signified in a linguistic sign, which invariably rests on historical tradition.