NEW WAYS OF SEEING THINGS:
OPPORTUNITIES FOR PARADIGM RESEARCH IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS USING DOOYEWEERD'S IDEASIDEAS

This page collects together opportunities for using Dooyeweerd's ideas to generate or stimulate new ways of seeing things (new paradigms) in the information systems field, which have emerged from discussions in the forthcoming book Foundations of Information Systems Research and Practice by Andrew Basden. Each suggestion is for a research project, which might range from small masters-level study, through PhD project, to multi-project, longer-term research programme. Some enrich extant paradigms, some produce new ones.

For each suggestion, a brief description is given, followed by type of activity in column 2:

Column 3 lists relevant portions of Dooyeweerd's thought, and its key is common to all tables, given below. Column 4 indicates sections in the book where the ideas are discussed.

Table §wn-t-pdgms. Changing the Way We Think (Paradigms, etc.)
Research Type Portions
of Dooy 		See
(Section,
Table)
Ways of Seeing the Nature of ICT
Supervenience, emergence 'smuggle in' the meaningfulness of the aspect that is emerging. Dooyeweerd's notion of oceanic meaningfulness and aspects might account for them and open up new avenues of research. New Asp-M
Ocean 		§§dw-7.1
Data, Information, Knowledge may be understood as differentiated yet integrated with Dooyeweerd's aspects. Extn Asp-ML §§noc-3
Artificial intelligence question ("Computer = Human?" generates fruitless conflict. Impasse because of dualistic ground-motives. Question presuppositions about the "=", with Dooyeweerd's notion of Being-as-meaning. AI as multi-aspectual LSO relationship, in which ICT can be either subject or aubject-by-proxy. New GMtv
LSO 		§§noc-6
§§dw-2.3
§§dw-9.2
Ways of Seeing ICT Use
HCI, ease of use: Multi-aspectual: Give importance to every aspect, alongside those already considered. Extn Asp-M §§isu-3.4
§§isu-4.1
Aspects of meaningful content: For quality of content, focus on spheres of meaningfulness (aspects) of content, not just methods. In both serious applications and games. New Asp-M §§dw-7-8
§§isu-3.5.2
Engaging with meaningful content: Recognise that EMC cannot be reduced to EIT or ELI. Understand links between them. New AEF §§isu-3.5.3
Task-technology fit, User-system-task, as paradigms, contain ambiguities: Resolve these using Dooyeweerd's aspectual understanding of subject and objects (prior, generated), and the distinction between EIT, EMC, ELI. Extn LSO
AEF
Asp-M 		§§isu-4.11
§§dw-3.1.2
Benefits as multi-aspectual normativity: Benefits and usefulness may be understood by Shalom Principle of multi-aspectual normativity. New Asp-MN §§isu-4.10
Extending the Socio-technical approach: Socio-technical recognises formative, social aspects; Why not add lingual? Then all other aspects, of what is meaningful in IS? New Asp-M §§isu-4.3
Multi-aspectual tacit knowledge: Foundational understanding of tacit knowledge is weak, uncritically referring to few influential thinkers. Reinterpret as aspectual ways of knowing. Extn Asp-K §§isu-4.4
§§dw-8.4
§§isd-6
Systems as enkaptic wholes: Much systems thinking is weakened by part-whole presupposition. Use Dooyeweerd's notions of enkapsis and multi-aspectual things. New Enk
Asp-V 		§§isu-4.5
Multi-aspectual Actor Networks might benefit from separating out aspects of functioning, recognising Dooyeweerd's intimate subject-object functioning, subject-by-proxy and aspectual dependency. Extn Asp-D
LSO 		§§isu-4.5
§§dw-3.1
§§noc-4.4
Multi-aspectual Normativity (Ethics) of ICT Use: Fragmented discourse. Innate normativity of Dooyeweerd's aspects can integrate. New? Asp-N §§isu-4.13
§dw-7.5
ICT and climate change: Consider how ICT changes behaviour and attitudes which affects climate change and other environmental issues. New? AEF
Asp-F 		§§isu-2.13
§§soc-2.1
§§soc-4.2
Innovative use of ICT: Reconceptualize innovative use as aspectual potential, linked with affordance, rather than as either expression of freedom or something to measure. New Asp-P §§5isu-5.14
§§dw-8.2
Non-use of ICT: Multi-levelled understandings of non-use may be grounded in aspects, aspectual possibility and inter-dependency, as offered by 'oceanic' views, instead of merely resistance. New Asp-PD §§isu-4.14
Down-to-earth issues in ICT use: Most IS literature on ICT use discusses issues meaningful to management, academics, etc., ignoring 'down-to-earth' issues meaningful to users. Dooyeweerd's respect for everyday experience offers philosophical grounding for this, and his aspects a conceptual tool. New EDX
DivM
Asp-W 		§§isu-4.16
§§dw-1.1
§§dw-7-8
Life domains of ICT use is a relatively new paradigm in ICT use, poorly defined. Identify life domains by what is centrally meaningful in them (aspects), and suggest other domains. Extn Asp-I §§isu-4.17
Virtual worlds: See VWs or games as virtual law-side and their quality as furnished by incorporating every aspect as meaningful content. Helps evaluation, design. New Asp-LM
EMC 		§§isu-4.6
§§isu-3.5.2
§§isd-2.6
§§isd-6.4
Ways of Seeing ICT Features
Materiality of ICT: Reflect on analogy with the physical aspect from each aspect of ICT. How does each express some different important feature of materiality? Affirm, critique, ground, enrich the materiality analogy. Extn Asp-A §§ft-3.2
Software libraries:
1. On what basis may we soundly critique software libraries, especially in relation to future possibility? Instead of focusing on mere design-and-implementation, focus on what aspectual meaningfulness is encapsulated in libraries.
2. Philosophical underpinning: libraries as virtual law sides, one per aspect, covering interaction possibilities, innards and protocols, and aspectual appropriateness. 		New Asp-ML
FtC 		§§ft-4.2
§§isd-6.2
Understanding ICT features in IS field: See ICT features as interaction possibilities, innards and protocols. Two main issues in each: affordance, appropriateness. New FtC §§ft-3-4
Aspect-oriented File formats, protocols are not just sets of constructs and rules, but should be oriented to the meaningfulness of all relevant aspects (primary, secondary), according to 'real-life' use. New Asp-MI §§ft-4.3
Ways of Seeing ICT and Society
Values are ambiguous. Dooyeweerd's suite of aspects has been employed to introduce Ecosystem valuing; do something similar for IS, ICT. New Asp-NM §§dw-8.5
Aspects of Digital Divide: What actually is wrong about a digital divide? Reference aspectual normativity to clarify. New Asp-N §§soc-4.3
Questioning economic growth: Binary opposition between economic growth and anti-capitalism may be nuanced by Dooyeweerd's aspects, to discuss the role ICT (could) plays in each scenario. Extn Asp-MN §§soc-5.4
Progress, modernity, role of ICT: Humanity's opening up of each aspect should serve other aspects. ICT may be seen as contributing to the opening up of the lingual aspect, which then enables others to be opened up. New Prog §§noc-3
§§soc-6.1
Philosophy of technology: Instead of 'technology' (formative aspect), consider 'information' (lingual), with three engagements, spanning personal and societal. New Lng Asp
AEF 		§§noc-2
§§soc-6.1
Ways of Seeing ICT Development
ICT development as a human activity: Beyond 'socio-technical' and organizational IS, see ICT development as multi-aspectual responsibility of four kinds, which covers its everyday experience. Can enrich socio-technical approaches. Extn Asp-PF
EDX 		Ch. §isd
Philosophical foundation for aspect-oriented programming (AOP): Affirm, critique and enrich AOP. Extn Asp-WM §§ft-4.2.3

Key to Column 3:

LOG:

Written: 4 January 2017 Last updated: