Theme 3: Reflection

The lecture and the seminar left me more confused than I was after finishing with this week’s reading.Both raised too many questions which I still feel difficulties in analysing.

During the seminar I asked the question what is the difference between theory and fact? If once a theory is proven doesn’t that turn it into a fact?

After a discussion the definition we were given for a fact was that it is an a priori knowledge (if analyzed more philosophically). But from a scientific point of view it is something that can be readily observed and the way that something (the phenomena) is measured cannot be denied.

On the contrary, the theory focuses on explaining the observational process – it is an explanatory framework of the observation.So the way I understood it – fact is an undeniable truth and observation, while theory is a vague truth that explains the observation.But I feel that this is still not detailed enough so I want to try to look at it more profoundly.

We cannot really oppose fact versus theory, as they seem to be linked in a very complex way and in order to analyze what theory is, we also need to define what differentiates it from fact.

Lets assume that fact as an a priori form of knowledge is what initiates theory. There are numerous historical examples of shocking new facts that lead to the birth of new theories. Isn’t that the way people depict new discoveries? The accidental discovery of the penicillin’s qualities that prevents the growth of the bacteria for example, or what were the conclusions gained after an observation of speech and spelling mistakes that people make. Those examples are a proof of how a simple observation can lead to fascinating new theories.

In the past it was known that the spelling mistakes were not just accidental but it is Freud who develops a theory based on this knowledge. It seems like a fact can initiate a theory only if the observer is aware of the possible interaction between the theory and the facts.

The IS theories are a tool that give the main direction by defining the sources and the information which need to be abstracted. The theory offers a conceptual scheme to systemize, classify and connect the relevant phenomena in order to fill in the gaps of missing knowledge and make it look organized. 

So if we take a fact as one of the constructs of the theory we can say that it helps for theory’s formulation and can easily reject its authenticity in case a theory does not correspond to facts. They can change its focus and direction and at the same time clarify it. 

Within the field of Information Systems I realized that it is better for one to focus on one certain theory for observation so that it can lead him to a more definite answer and solution. It is the classifications, which I mentioned, in my previous post, which helps one to reach his/her objective when researching. When one is in use of many theories, the research can be considered as not that in depth although once you are given the chance to see certain observations from different perspectives, you can reach to conclusion based on the contradictions.