Philosophical Issues In Information Systems

R L Winder, S K Probert, I. A. Beeson

Part 1 Ethical and political aspects: some philosophical and logical aspects of infomation systems, Fenton F. Robb; implications of regarding information as meaningful rather than factual, Norma Romm; the tool perspective on information system design - what Heidegger's philosophy can't do, Martin Spaul; thoughts towards a framework for critical practice, Anne Moggridge. Part 2 Language and meaning: patterns on glass - the language games of information, Jim Gilligan; the nature of information and its relationship to meaning, John Mingers; mapping information systems on to the real world, Frank Gregory; organic information for the organic organization? - an application of the work of Talcott Parsons to information systems, Richard Kamm. Part 3 Methodology: backing into philosophy via information systems, Brian Petheram; software engineering as a Kuhnian discipline, Paul Wernick and Russel Winder; the metaphysical assumptions of the main Soft Systems Methodology advocates, Stephen Probert; towards a paradigm of information systems, Marcus Lyncy. Part 4 Organizational aspects: sustainable information in community organizations, Nick Plant; a new philosophy, a new agenda - introducing information systems into complex organizations, Stuart Maguire; anthropological reflections on systems engineering - seeing is believing, George Bakehouse et al. Part 5 Physical aspects: evolution, emergence and synaesthesia, John Gammack and Carolyn Begg; the body in the information system, Ian Beeson.