The role of philosophy and the philosophical in information science

Abstract

The importance of philosophy and the philosophical is not on the lips of many library and information science practitioners and scholars, even though pervasive in information science theory and practice. This investigation focusses on the relationship between information science, philosophy and the philosophical thinking attitude revealed through theoretical and practical concerns. This includes theory generation arising from the philosophical in exploring the role of philosophy and the philosophical. It takes into account perceived problems in recognising, accepting and rejecting the role of philosophical approaches and the impact in determining the nature and the theoretical and practical aspects of information science. The problem posed by not recognising philosophical approaches, is that the benefits of philosophical thought cannot be drawn on to understand how knowledge, information and its communication manifest through language and language expression. Three pathways are used in order to reveal philosophy and the philosophical in information science, the connection between information retrieval and language, and philosophical thinking attitudes at theoretical and practical levels. The value of the study lies in contributing towards knowledge and awareness of the effect of philosophical theories on problems seen as central research areas in information science and its domains. The methodological approach gives preference to the comparative and pluralistic epistemology of a journey. The study examines Peter Ingwersen’s cognitive perspective and information retrieval interaction, David Blair’s treatment of information retrieval with natural language as primary concern, and Fanie de Beer’s contribution on the inventive act of reading and knowledge organisation, as representative figures. It is argued that information science cannot avoid philosophy in its different manifestations. By understanding how philosophy manifests in information science, such as the role of philosophy revealed through language and information retrieval, an opportunity is offered to reconsider the discipline’s interdisciplinary nature in the existing scholarly and societal environment, and the contribution of its historical development to the assumptions and philosophies underlying the discipline. A further empirical study on how philosophy and the philosophical are embedded in information science research is recommended. It could investigate the influence of philosophy on decisions made by South African universities to redesign information science research and study programmes.

Biblioteek- en inligtingkundige praktisyns praat nie dikwels oor die belangrikheid van filosofie en die filosofiese nie, hoewel dit algemeen in die teorie en praktyk van inligtingkunde voorkom. Hierdie ondersoek fokus op die verband tussen inligtingkunde, filosofie en die filosofiese denkhouding wat deur teoretiese en praktiese aspekte blootgelê word. Dit sluit die skepping in van teorieë wat uit die filosofiese voortspruit met die ondersoek na die rol van filosofie en die filosofiese. Dit neem kennis van vermeende probleme met herkenning, aanvaarding en verwerping van die rol van filosofiese benaderings en die impak op bepaling van die aard en die teoretiese en praktiese aspekte van inligtingkunde. Die probleem wat veroorsaak word deur nie die filosofiese benaderings te erken nie, is dat die voordele van filosofiese denke nie gebruik kan word om te verstaan hoe kennis, inligting en die kommunikasie daarvan in taal- en taaluitdrukking manifesteer nie. Drie weë word gevolg om die filosofie en die filosofiese in inligtingkunde, die verband tussen inligtingontsluiting en taal, en filosofiese denkhouding op teoretiese en praktiese vlak aan te toon. Die waarde van die studie lê daarin dat dit bydra tot kennis en bewustheid van die uitwerking van filosofiese teorieë op probleme wat as sentrale navorsingsgebiede in inligtingkunde en sy domeine beskou word. Die metodologiese benadering gee voorkeur aan die vergelykende en pluralistiese epistemologie van 'n reis. Die studie ondersoek Peter Ingwersen se kognitiewe perspektief en interaksie met inligtingontsluiting, David Blair se hantering van inligtingontsluiting met natuurlike taal as primêre belang, en Fanie de Beer se bydrae oor die vindingryke handeling van lees- en kennisorganisasie, as verteenwoordigende figure. Daar word aangevoer dat inligtingkunde nie filosofie in sy verskillende manifestasies kan vermy nie. Deur te verstaan hoe filosofie in inligtingkunde manifesteer, soos die rol van filosofie wat deur taal- en inligtingontsluiting openbaar word, word die geleentheid gebied om die dissipline se interdissiplinêre aard in die bestaande wetenskaplike en samelewingsomgewing en die bydrae van die historiese ontwikkeling daarvan tot die aannames en filosofieë onderliggend aan die dissipline te heroorweeg. 'n Verdere empiriese studie oor hoe filosofie en die filosofiese in inligtingkundige navorsing vervat is, word aanbeveel. Dit kan die invloed van filosofie op besluite wat Suid-Afrikaanse universiteite neem om navorsings- en studieprogramme vir inligtingkunde te herontwerp, ondersoek.

Bohlokwa bja filosofi le bja tiriso ya filosofi bo bolelwa kudu ke basomi ba bantsi ba dithutamahlale tsa bokgobapuku le tshedimoso le dirutegi, le ge e le gore di tletse kudu ka go teori le tiriso ya dithutamahlale tsa tshedimoso. Dinyakisiso tse di nepisitse go kamano magareng ga dithutamahlale tsa tshedimoso, filosofi le maikutlo a go nagana ka filosofi ao a utollotswego ka dipelaelo mabapi le teori le tiriso. Se se akaretsa moloko wo o dirisago teori e lego seo se bakilwego ke tiriso ya filosofi go utolla mosomo wa filosofi le wa tiriso ya filosofi. Di hlokometse kudu mathata ao a bonwago ka go lekodisisa, go amogela le go gana mosomo wa mekgwa ya filosofi le seabe sa go tseba mokgwa le dilo tsa teori le tsa tiriso ya dithutamahlale tsa tshedimoso. Bothata bjo bo laeditswego bja go se lemoge mekgwa ya filosofi, ke gore mehola ya kgopolo ya filosofi e ka se diriswe gore re kwesise ka fao tsebo, tshedimoso le poledisano ka ga yona di ka phethagatswago ka polelo le tlhagiso ya polelo. Ditsela tse tharo di a diriswa ka nepo ya go utolla filosofi le tiriso ya filosofi ka go dithutamahlale tsa tshedimoso, kamano magareng ga go hwetsa tshedimoso le polelo, le mekgwa ya go nagana ka filosofi maemong a teori le a tiriso. Boleng bja dinyakisiso tse ke go ba le seabe go tsebo le go temoso ka ga seabe sa diteori tsa filosofi go mathata ao a bonwego bjalo ka dinyakisiso tse bohlokwa ka go dithutamahlale tsa tshedimoso le go makala a tsona. Tsela ye ya go dirisa mekgwa e rata kudu mokgwa wa papetso le wa go tseba dilo ka tsela ye e fapafapanego mo leetong. Dinyakisiso tse di lekodisisa mokgwa wa kwesiso le kamano ya go hwetsa tshedimoso tsa Peter Ingwersen, kwesiso ya David Blair ya go hwetsa tshedimoso le polelo ya tlhago bjalo ka selo seo se tlisago tlhobaelo ya mathomo, le seabe sa Fanie de Beer ka ga tiro ya boitlhamelo ya go bala le go beakanya tsebo, bjalo ka dilo tseo di tlisago kemelo. Go bolelwa gore dithutamahlale tsa tshedimoso di ka se kgone go efoga filosofi ka tirisong ya tsona ye e fapafapanego. Ka go kwesisa ka fao filosofi e diriswago ka gona ka go dithutamahlale tsa tshedimoso, go swana le ge mosomo wa filosofi o utollotswe ka polelo le ka go utolla tshedimoso, sebaka se a fiwa go lebeledisisa leswa seemo sa thuto ye sa kamano le dithuto tse dingwe ka seemong sa bjale sa dirutegi le ka setshabeng, le seabe sa tlhabollo ya yona mo nakong ye e fetilego go ditshisinyo le go difilosofi tseo di thekgago thuto ye. Dinyakisiso tse dingwe tseo di theilwego go boitemogelo ka ga ka fao filosofi le tiriso ya filosofi di tsentswego ka go dithutamahlale tsa tshedimoso di a sisinywa. Di ka nyakisisa khuetso ya filosofi go diphetho tseo di dirilwego ke diyunibesithi tsa Afrika Borwa go hlama leswa dinyakisiso tsa dithutamahlale tsa tshedimoso le go mananeo a dithuto.