Information systems have five main areas of research and practice in which humans relate to information and communications technology. Typically isolated from one another, these areas are: the nature of computers and information, the creation of information technologies, the development of artifacts for human use, the usage of information systems, and information technology as our environment. Philosophical Frameworks for Understanding Information Systems strives to develop philosophical frameworks for these five areas and provides researchers, scholars, and provides practitioners in fields such as information systems, public administration, library science, education, and business management with an exemplary reference resource.

In Search Of An Integrative Vision For Technology will stimulate its readers to consider the 'whole story that is information systems' within the context of an integrative vision of technology. It integrates disparate areas of debate and research while appreciating the contribution that philosophy can make to such thinking. It is deliberately broad in coverage, and designed to provide useful pointers so that researchers, students, practitioners, and developers can easily apply each point as needed. Human issues of technology and their normative aspects is a theme that runs throughout the entire book. The integrative vision is centered on an understanding of human practice - the twin notions of structure and direction, and the leading and the founding functions of such practice. While this understanding applies to all technologies, it is worked out in more detail for information technology. From this philosophical understanding, many interdisciplinary areas of interest are identified.

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Why does information technology disappoint or enslave us? Why do so many information systems projects collapse? How can we do better? There are many technical, social, economic and other aspects to consider. How do we ensure we take all these into account as we research ITC or employ them? ICT affects our lives and world more profoundly than ever before. How may we understand it? This book employs philosophy to lay foundations for understanding the complexity of ICT, in five areas: The nature of information and computers, and artificial intelligence; The use of ICT at work and home, for serious and less-serious use; The ICT features that annoy or delight us; Societal issues, such as surveillance, e-government, ICT in developing countries, climate change, what technological progress is and what is the role of ICT as a whole and of the information systems field; ICT development - including computer programming, knowledge engineering and project management. The ideas in this book emerge from five decades of experience of the author with ICT, across industry, the professions and academic life. Information systems researchers will enjoy this book because it offers them new ideas and fresh perspectives. On the 500th anniversary of the European Reformation, this book introduces and applies the Reformational Philosophy of mid-20th-century Dutch thinker, Herman Dooyeweerd, to contemporary challenges of the 21st century. Excitingly, this accessible philosophy is grounded in everyday experience and yields a rich seedbed of ideas, which researchers and practitioners can develop to their advantage.

In Search Of An Integrative Vision For Technology will stimulate its readers to consider the 'whole story that is information systems' within the context of an integrative vision of technology. It integrates what are currently disparate areas of debate and research, and to appreciate the contribution that philosophy can make to such integrative thinking. It is deliberately broad in coverage, and it is designed to also provide useful pointers, within such a view, so that researchers, students, practitioners, developers and users can easily apply each point as needed. "Human issues of technology and their normative aspects" is a theme that runs throughout the entire book.

The integrative vision is centered on an understanding of human practice the twin notions of structure and direction, and the leading and the founding functions of such practice. While this understanding applies to all technologies, it is worked out in more detail for information technology. Information technology demonstrates issues that are found in many other technologies. From this philosophical understanding, a number of interdisciplinary areas of interest are identified, enabling 'the whole story that is information systems' to be examined. The areas identified are:

1. The Development of Information Systems and of the Basic Technologies from which they are fashioned.

2. Human Practices involving Information Systems.

3. Socio-Technical Systems

4. Directional Perspectives

In each area, the issues of norms, research, development, and the relationship between technology and human beings are all present. It is shown how each area, though distinct from the others, is nevertheless closely interwoven with the others by several types of relationships. Systems thinking is augmented with other frameworks to ensure that all types of inter-area relationships are recognized and discussed."