The challenge: substantiating knowledge claims.

The profession of occupalional therapy i~ being subjected to serious questioning from within The questions arc directed toward the hean of the profession's philosophy. lL is generally agrccci that philosophical debate can be sub· sumed under the three broad categories of (a) ontology (What is real!), (b) epistemology (What is true»), and (c) aXiology (What is good') In other words, the major philosophical questions can be distilled to some form of (a) being/reality. (b) knowledge claim, or (c) values (Morris & Pai. 1976) In this papelI attempt to :l1lah'7(' the profession's internal questiolling and propose the thesis that the pri mary concern of the] 980s is the profession's epistemology :l11cl that, as a result, the road aheJcI ",vill be p~.iVed by those willing to invest in the substantiation of knowledge claims. Fmthermore, I advocate thJt a l)ragmatic approach be taken beGllIse it will best serve occupational therapy's needs.