Ontology, epistemology and methodology in information system Article

Ontology, epistemology and methodology in learning system researches - Article Example93), ontology was considered to be the study of the categories of things that be or may exist in some worldly concern. Moreover, he states that the product of an ontology is a catalog of the types of things that are assumed to exist in a domain of bear on D from the perspective of a person who uses a language L for the purpose of talking about D. He adds that predicates, word senses, or construct and relation types of the language L are represented by the different types in the ontology in cases when these are used to provide a discussion of the topics in the domain D (Sowa, 1993). Viinikkala (2003) defined ontology as an aged branch of philosophy, the purpose of which is to establish the justice about cosmos by answering the persistent doubtfulness of what exists. Furthermore, she shares Sowas goal of ontology which is to provide an objective description of reality and any domain of objects (Viinikkala, 2003, p. 3). Table 1. Common elements in the philosophical definition of ontology Gruber Sowa Viinikkala What is ontology? explicit condition of a conceptualization study of the categories of things that exist or may exist in some domain branch of philosophy that establishes truth about reality Goal provide specification for a representation of a world catalog of the types of things that are assumed to exist in a domain of pertain provide an objective description of reality and any domain of objects 2.1.1 Objectivity philosophy In a philosophical sense, objectivity is believing in an jazz on the basis of what can be said in favor of, and against, its truth, without putting any bearing on whether one would prefer to believe the truth or not (Yandell, 1999, p. 15). Objectivity does not require for one to have any amount of feeling for the belief to be true... This paper states that the increasing interest in the subject of ontology, epistemology, and methodology in inf ormation system researches is brought about by their extensive applicability in the domains of information systems analysis and design (ISAD). As information systems are practically representations of real-world phenomena and scenarios, it is considered an important thrust to accurately and appropriately identify the entities that need to be represented and, essentially, how these should be represented. Because of the extensive applicability of ontology and, consequently, those of epistemology and methodology, it would inspection and repair the field well if these concepts and other constructs pertaining to them are properly defined. Since different sources may provide a variety of different definitions for these terms, it will be wise to luck out the commonalities from these definitions. Moreover, it is wise to note that the definitions for these concepts are presented differently on a philosophical level, as compared with those on a technical or practical level. These difference s should be noted as well in order to better unify these philosophical and practical meanings. The concepts of ontology, epistemology, and methodology are gaining extensive applicability in the information systems. While there are, to an extent, some similarities between the definitions of these concepts in a philosophical sense and when used in information system, a closer look at how these concepts are applied in the information system reveals certain significant differences.