Paying back borrowed meanings: The implications of the metaphor-driven history of IS research for its future

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Source of Publication

Proceedings of the 24th Australasian Conference on Information Systems

Publication Date

1-1-2013

Abstract

© 2013. The history of a discipline is a history of its dialogue, and its dialogue relies inevitably upon metaphors. However, metaphors can both help and hinder as they pass from fresh insight to normal speech. In this paper we argue that metaphoric analysis can be used to examine how the emergence and evolution of the metaphors employed in a discipline can influence its course. We use metaphoric analysis to survey significant metaphors in the history of the Information Systems discipline, in particular those relating to its central construct, information. We consider the possibility of an account for information that is non-reifying, as well as approaches that eschew metaphors, and the consequences of such formulations for IS.

ISBN

9780992449506

Publisher

RMIT University

Disciplines

Computer Sciences

Keywords

Historical survey, Information, Information systems discipline, Metaphor, Metaphoric analysis

Scopus ID

84923872783

Indexed in Scopus

yes

Open Access

no

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