University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Arguments for Philosophical Realism in Library and Information Science

Hjørland, Birger

Content Files
Hjorland488506.pdf

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/1685

Description

Title
Arguments for Philosophical Realism in Library and Information Science
Author(s)
Hjørland, Birger
Issue Date
2004
Keyword(s)
  • Philosophy of information
  • Library science --Philosophy
  • Information science --Philosophy
Date of Ingest
2007-07-23T20:20:47Z
Abstract
The basic realist claim is that a mind-independent reality exists. It should be common sense knowledge to accept this claim, just as any theories that try to deny it soon become inconsistent because reality strikes back. In spite of this, antirealist philosophies flourish, not only in philosophy but also in the behavioral and cognitive sciences and in information science. This is highly problematic because it removes the attention from reality to subjective phenomena with no real explanatory power. Realism should not be confused with the view that all scientific claims are true or with any other kind of naiveté concerning knowledge claims. The opposite of realism may be termed antirealism, idealism, or nominalism. Although many people confuse empiricism and positivism with realism, these traditions are by nature strongly antirealist, which is why a sharp distinction should be made between empiricism and realism. Empirical research should not be founded on assumptions about “the given” of observations, but should recognize the theory-laden nature of observations. Domain analysis represents an attempt to reintroduce a realist perspective in library and information science. A realist conception of relevance, information seeking, information retrieval, and knowledge organization is outlined. Information systems of all kinds, including research libraries and public libraries, should be informed by a realist philosophy and a realist information science.
Publisher
Graduate School of Library and Information Science. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
ISSN
0024-2594
Type of Resource
text
Genre of Resource
Article
Language
en
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/1685
Copyright and License Information
Copyright owned by Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2004.

Owning Collections

Library Trends 52 (3) Winter 2004: The Philosophy of Information PRIMARY
Library Trends 52 (3) Winter 2004: The Philosophy of Information. Edited by Ken Herold.