A4 Refereed article in a conference publication

Are We Discovering or Making Concepts? Performativity in Concept Defining




AuthorsNiemimaa Marko, Zimmer Markus Philipp

Conference namePacific Asia Conference on Information Systems

Publication year2022

Journal: Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems

Book title PACIS 2022 Proceedings

ISBN978-1-958200-01-8

ISSN2689-6354

Publication's open availability at the time of reportingNo Open Access

Publication channel's open availability No Open Access publication channel

Web address https://aisel.aisnet.org/pacis2022/97/


Abstract

Alongside the emergence of new technologies and management trends, new concepts such as Artificial Intelligence, Digital Transformation and Cybersecurity appear. Once introduced, scholars debate these concepts’ definitions. Often, a uniform definition remains elusive in these debates but several different - sometimes conflicting - definitions result. In this short paper, we take a philosophical perspective to concept defining and ask why is it that we end up in these situations where a plurality of definitions exists? We outline two perspectives to concept defining: 1) concept-discovery; and 2) concept-making. We argue that concept defining is largely ill-conceived as an activity of concept-discovery according to which concepts are mirrors of the outside world. In contrast, we argue that viewing concept defining as an act of concept-making will sensitize IS researchers on the practices and processes which make concepts and their ethical as well as political implications.



Last updated on 26/11/2024 04:33:22 PM