About Theory of Knowledge Organization [chapter]

Richard P. Smiraglia
2014 The Elements of Knowledge Organization  
To understand the importance of theory in the development of scientifi c thought one has to rely on a thorough comprehension of the tools and paradigms of research. At the most basic level, theory is a frequently-tested (and thereby affi rmed) statement of the interacting requirements of a phenomenon. In empirical research, theory is both the accumulated wisdom of the paradigm from which hypotheses are cast and the constant reaccumulation that occurs as each hypothesis is tested. The essence of
more » ... empirical theory is the notion that probability theory allows us to state with great precision the degree to which our statements likely mirror reality. In other domains theories have more the aura of accumulated statements that describe positions within a system. In sum, the presence of a theoretical basis in a domain, whether a single theory or a system of theoretical statements, implies not just the cleverness of the actors in the domain, but rather their scientifi c productivity. Theory exists in domains where a large quantity of research has been very productive at generating workable explanations and also at identifying inadequate or erroneous statements. So if there were to be a theory of knowledge organization what would it look like? Obviously it would have to include operational defi nitions of both of the key terms-knowledge, and organization. It would have to supply environmental parameters within which the two phenomena interact. And it would have to describe the manner in which these phenomena interact. In essence, a theory of knowledge organization would have to explain the impact of the organization of knowledge on those for whom it is operationalized, whether animate or not. There are, in fact, several theoretical contributions that seek to explain knowledge organization. I will review four discrete points of view in this essay, in order to Portions of this text appeared as Chapter 1. Introduction: theory, knowledge organization, epistemology, culture. In Smiraglia, Richard P. and Hur-Li Lee eds., 2012. Cultural frames of knowledge . Würzburg: Ergon-Verlag, pp. 1-17. Reprinted by permission.
doi:10.1007/978-3-319-09357-4_2 fatcat:oketi4anhnc5bnjflpbgnlftq4