Thinking about Social Theory and Philosophy for Information Systems

The phrase 'social theory and philosophy for information systems' invites an examination of following terms: social, theory, philosophy , information, systems, information systems, philosophy for information systems, and social theory for information systems. I shall refrain (no doubt to the relief of the reader) from providing the definition and scholarly treatment that each and every one of these terms deserves. Instead, I will pursue just a few issues where my intention is to suggest an imagination that is helpful to thinking about philosophy, social theory and information systems. Much as C. Wright Mills (1959) sought to instill in his readers a sense of what he called 'the sociological imagination', I will attempt to suggest to the reader a means of thinking about philosophy , social theory and information systems that, in a way, is more important than whatever the content of such thinking might be. The content of such thinking can and should change from philosophy to philosophy, from social theory to social theory and from information system to information system. However, once a person captures a particular imagination for raising and addressing questions about philosophy, social theory and information systems, the content of such thinking becomes nothing more than an ephemeral instantiation of a longer-lasting and more significant form of knowledge. It is this form of knowledge that motivates this chapter. I will draw on my own experiences in becoming a scholar to help evoke such an imagination and also to help explain what the terms 'philosophy', 'social theory' and 'information systems'