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04 June 2010 | Posted by Innova Institute

Pragmatism and IS Research

Research in Information Systems (IS) is a young discipline, therefore it benefits from efforts to further consolidate its philosophical bases (Mingers 2004). The emergence of Neurosciences has enriched current research in Social Sciences, as seen in neuroeconomics, neuropsychology, or neurolinguistics. In this post we introduce Lerma & Miralles (2008) proposal to uncover the introduction of Neurosciences in IS research. The philosophical base of IS has seen contributions from positivism and anti-positivism, however, this has also created irreconcilable disputes (Goles & Hirschheim 2000). The Pragmatist approach is seen as an alternative to the existent philosophical disputes (Goldkuhl 2004). The authors propose that Neurophilosophy could provide ground to support the Pragmatism base development and serve as a foundation for better IS Research. Have you heard of Pragmatism as a scientific base to analyze Information Systems role in today’s organizations? Are you aware of the use of Neurosciences in economics, psychology or other scientific fields? Have you heard about other applications of Neurosciences? What is your opinion of their development? References:

  • Goldkuhl, G. 2004, "Meanings of Pragmatism: Ways to conduct information systems research", International conference on Action in Language, Organisations and Information Systems.
  • Goles, T. & Hirschheim, R. 2000, "The paradigm is dead, the paradigm is dead... long live the paradigm: the legacy of Burrel and Morgan", Omega, The Interantional Journal of Management Science, vol. 28, pp. 249-268.
  • Lerma, G. & Miralles, F. 2008, "Pragmatism and Information Systems (IS): Neurophylosophical approach",  Proceedings of the Inaugural Meeting of AIS SIGPrag, Eds. P. Agerfalk, M. Aakhus & M. Link, ICIS Paris, pp. 23.
  • Mingers, J. 2004, "Paradigm wars: ceasefire announced who will set up the new administration", Journal of Information Technology, vol. 19, no, 1, pp. 165-171.
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