Information Modeling and the Problem of Universals - Distributed Artificial Intelligence, Agent Technology, and Collaborative Applications - page 273

Chapter XV
Information Modeling and the
Problem of Universals
John M. Artz
George Washington University, USA
aBstract
Earlier work in the philosophical foundations of information modeling identified four key concepts in
which philosophical groundwork must be further developed. This chapter reviews that earlier work
and expands on one key area—the Problem of Universals—which is at the very heart of information
modeling.
introduction
For several decades now, articles have been appearing periodically, in the Information Systems research
literature, criticizing the field for (1) a lack of theory, (2) no core set of concepts, and (3) no accepted
paradigm. All of these criticisms point to a lack of philosophical grounding which would help provide
a common basis from which researchers could work, a collection of central problems, and a collection
of agreed upon methods for advancing knowledge in the field. It is difficult to tell exactly when this self
flagellating critical self-examination first began. But a reasonable point at which to establish the basis
of this critical self-examination would be an article by Peter Keen at the 1 st International Conference
on Information Systems which begins with the observation that “At present, MIS research is a theme
rather than a substantive field.” (Keen, 1980, pg. 9) Keen goes on to criticize MIS research for a lack of
a cumulative tradition and other factors that are key requirements for a scientific discipline.
This idea was elaborated upon several years later by Culnan who cited Keen's remarks, and embarked
upon an analysis of the Information Systems research literature looking for common themes and poten-
tially competing paradigms. Culnan points out that “As a field matures, new theories are proposed and