The Philosopher's Corner

A minimalist view of theory will render it more accessible for a wider range of research questions. More accessible theory will facilitate constant improvement between representations predicting particular relationships among entities of interest in IS and observations of those relationships in practice. This is needed in IS to direct research energy toward knowledge that can lead to more effective and helpful interventions for computing technology stakeholders. The paper also addresses a range of anomalies created by prevailing traditional views of theory, particularly regarding the distinction between theory existence and theory level of support. Discussion includes identifying barriers to conversion to this view of theory as well as criteria for evaluation of proposed new theory.