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Ontologies pp 143–169Cite as

Ontology, Life-World, and Responsibility in IS

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Part of the book series: Integrated Series in Information Systems ((ISIS,volume 14))

Abstract

This paper discusses the influence which philosophical ontology has on the ascription of responsibility in IS. It starts out with a description of two ontological positions which are treated under the heading of “positivism” and “life-world”. Positivism is defined as being based on the assumption of an observer-independent objective reality whereas the life-world represents a reality that is created by intentional perception and hermeneutic interaction. In the subsequent section the paper introduces the concept of responsibility as a possible approach to the ethical and moral questions raised by the use of information systems. The final part then proceeds to discuss the influence that the ontological underpinning has on the ascription of responsibility. In conclusion it will be argued that these questions are of fundamental importance to information systems and that philosophical ontology therefore deserves a more explicit place in IS than it currently has.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Computing and Social Responsibilty, De Montfort University, Leicester, LE1 9BH, UK

    Bernd Carsten Stahl

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  1. Bernd Carsten Stahl
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. SUNY, Buffalo, New York, USA

    Raj Sharman , Rajiv Kishore  & Ram Ramesh ,  & 

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Stahl, B.C. (2007). Ontology, Life-World, and Responsibility in IS. In: Sharman, R., Kishore, R., Ramesh, R. (eds) Ontologies. Integrated Series in Information Systems, vol 14. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-37022-4_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-37022-4_6

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