Papers

Currently we have on this site:

• A Practical Philosophy for all Fields of Research, paper presented at the European Conference on Research Methods, Aveiro, Portugal, 19th June 2020.

• Introduction to Dooyeweerd and Aspects for the workshop Digital Transformation: A Multi-aspectual Perspective, part of the iConference 2020. It introduces aspects, using examples from the topic of digital transformation.

• Yong-Joon Choi's excellent dissertation 'Dialogue and Antithesis'
  Not only a study of Dooyeweerd's transcendental critique, and a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of Dooyeweerdian thought, but an application of the Dooyeweerdian critique to Korean thought and culture.

• Philosophical Issues in Affordance, Paper 1, written for the European Journal of Information Systems, 2016

  Abstract: The notion of affordance has recently been called upon, in the field of information systems, to understand the impact that ICT has on human and organisational activity. Originating with Gibson in the field of ecological psychology, and taken up by the HCI community, the idea of affordance is now being used in the IS field as a way to tackle the materiality of ICT and theorise the ICT artefact. This approach is seen by some as an antidote to an overweening social constructivism.

  However, discourse in the IS field around affordance has been confined to highlighting the importance of the idea or classifying types of affordance. There has been little discussion of the nature of affordance, or of how to benefit from insights about affordance that have emerged in other fields. Both require a philosophical understanding of affordance as an ontological primitive that applies across all fields. However, which philosophical issues are important to affordance is not yet clear.

  This paper reviews discourses around affordance, to identify a seven philosophical issues that are important to understanding affordance, especially in the IS field. The notion of affordance might offer a basis for discourse between the fields of information systems and HCI.

• Towards a Philosophical Understanding of Affordance Paper 2, Written for European Journal of Information Systems, 2016

  Abstract: The affordance of an ICT artefact or information system (IS) is the meaning it has to its users, which is located within it. After a period in which social constructionist perspectives dominated in the IS field, the notion of affordance is allowing a return to thinking about the IS as such, while retaining insights from those perspectives.

  The idea of affordance originated in the field of ecological psychology, was taken up by the HCI community, and has recently attracted interest in the IS field, as a way to tackle the materiality of ICT. However, the discourse in the IS field around affordance has been limited, with too little discussion of the nature of affordance from an IS perspective, nor of how to benefit from insights about affordance that have emerged in the other fields. These require a philosophical understanding of affordance.

  By reference to seven philosophical issues that are important in understanding affordance, this paper explores how the philosophy of Dooyeweerd can provide an integrative account of the nature of affordance across the fields. It then demonstrates practically how this account may be used. Contributions are possible in philosophy, theory of affordance, affordance research, and in practical evaluation and design.

• Affordance as Meaningfulness Written for the International Conference on Computers and Philosophy, 2014

  Abstract: The notion of affordance has recently been called upon to account for the impact of the shape of ICT on human and organisational activity. It originated with Gibson in the field of ecological psychology and there it has aroused considerable debate about its nature and effectiveness as a conceptual device. In proportion, much less debate about the nature of affordance has taken place in the field of information systems. Instead, researchers have adopted the notion and suggested classifications of affordances, which do not always correspond with each other. On what basis may we relate these to each other, and translate the insights gained in ecological psychology to other fields? This article reviews the notion of affordance in the fields of ecological psychology, of artefacts (HCI) and IS, and discovers confusion in all fields. Usually, affordance is seen as activity or relationship, but most discussions of affordance indicate that meaningfulness is central.

  This article explores the implications of treating affordance as meaningfulness, usually as a pair of ways of being meaningful. Three origins of meaningfulness are discussed: subjective, intersubjective (socially constructed) and meaningfulness as an ocean in which we exist and function, and which itself enables that existing and functioning. Possible contributions to IS theory and practice are discussed. A philosophical foundation on which to develop the idea of affordance as meaningfulness is briefly outlined.

• A Presentation of Herman Dooyeweerd's Aspects of Temporal Reality, A. Basden, 2011, published in IJMAP.
  This paper, which was first published in the International Journal of Multi-aspectual Practice, attempts to set out the kernel meanings of Dooyeweerd's aspects. It seeks to provide a starting-point for both those who seek a practical yet substantial understanding of Dooyeweerd's aspects, and those who wish to discuss aspects critically, especially in relation to each other.

• Understanding ICT in traditional classrooms in Nigeria, O.T. Adewolu, 2011. Dissertation for Masters degree.
  In this dissertation, Opeoluwa Adewolu used Dooyeweerd's aspects to survey the literature discussions about ICT in education, using Dooyeweerd's aspects to identify what was meaningful to each of five cohorts. She found some interesting results, such as that teachers are more interested in the economic and juridical aspect than the social aspect, despite their relationship with students being important.

• The Notion of Lifeworld Applied to Information Systems Research, 2009

  Abstract: Much IS research brings a priori theoretical constructs to its domain of study, and this can generate distorted outcomes. To avoid this danger, IS research should be 'lifeworld-oriented'. Characteristics of the lifeworld are drawn from philosophy and applied to examples of IS research. Surprisingly, both positivist and critical research can be both theorizing and lifeworld-oriented, though in different ways. A proposal is then made for 'lifeworld-oriented IS research', which, by taking into account the lifeworlds of both researcher and researched, can make IS research richer and more relevant.

• 'Understanding Everyday Experience and Use of Facebook and Games', A. Basden, 2008.
  This paper was delivered at the Workshop on Digital Culture: New Forms of Living and Organising?, organised by IRIS, the Informatics Research Centre, University of Salford, 16-17 June 2008. It employs Dooyeweerd's suite of aspects to understand both computer games and facebook. "I've been looking forward to this workshop for twenty years," said the author, "I began playing computer games 20 years ago, and for most of that time, academia has paid computer gaming no attention. Yet those involved in creating games in the early days (before the big money poured in), had creative ideas that would have been of interest to the disciplines of computer science, psychology, human factors, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, sociology and aesthetics. [approximate wording of what he said or at least meant to say]. All that time I wanted to find a way of understanding what was going on, and worked out a framework for understanding based on philosophy. This is a reflection on that working-out." This version has been written from the talk given, and is an initial draft for one to be submitted to a journal.

• Roy Clouser's "Three Watersheds of Biblical Interpretation".
  • Though aimed at a Christian readership, this paper could be of wider interest, because it touches on the major religious systems found throughout the world, on how we can know the Divine and yet take a hermeneutic approach, on reductionism, on justice, on the relationship between religion and secular life, such as science, in a way that neither scholastic partition nor encyclopedic fundamentalism.

• Christian philosophy and information systems: Version 2 (improved), presented at CPTS'2002, April 2002, Version 1, presented at the Toronto Institute for Christian Studies, October 2001.
  • an overview of how Dooyeweerdian thought (uniquely) can underpin all four major areas of concern in information systems.
• A philosophical underpinning for ISD -
  • how Dooyeweerdian ideas can inform information systems development. Paper presented (and well received) at European Conference on Information Systems, Gdansk, June 2002.
• The Critical Theory of Herman Dooyeweerd? -
  • This paper discuss the extent to which Dooyeweerd's ideas satisfy criteria for a Critical (Habermasian) approach - Heinz Klein's criteria Criticality and Dooyeweerd's philosophy rub off on each other.
• Beyond emancipation
  • a comment on 'Critical Theory' of Habermas as it is being used in information systems. Paper presented at the Critical Research in Information Systems Conference at University of Salford, June 2001.
• 'The knowledge level - the first twenty years'
  • an examination of Allen Newell's knowledge level (doesn't mention Dooyeweerd but is companion to the next paper that does ...
• 'The knowledge level - a philosophical underpinning for the next twenty years'
  • shows how Dooyeweerdian philosophy can provide philosophical support for Allen Newell's knowledge level.

Please send me papers you wish to have here, or rather hyperlink urls to papers already on the WWW. Thanks.

The copyright of each of the papers belongs to the author or journal (used with permission), as indicated on the paper itself.

This page Copyright (c) 2002 Andrew Basden, as part of The Dooyeweerd Pages, which explain, explore and discuss Dooyeweerd's interesting philosophy. Email questions or comments would be welcome.

Written on the Amiga and Protext in the style of classic HTML.

Created: 22 February 2002. Last updated: 26 April 2002 cpts2002, jit. 20 November 2002 Clouser's 3W; page reformatted. 1 March 2003 Choi's dissertation brought into here, .nav. 19 June 2008 ufbg paper. 30 January 2009 link to AOLR. 19 December 2012 IJMAP aspects paper and Ope's dissertation. 18 March 2020 aspects-iconf20.pdf. 12 June 2020 ecrm20-fields. 3 April 2021 affordance and lifeworld papers.