"Nothing
is so practical as a good theory" Lewin, 1945.
The
topic we have experience during the week is theory. We have read the following
two texts, namely "What is Theory is not" by Sutton, R. I. & Staw,
B. M. (1995) and "The Nature of Theory in Information Systems." by
Gregor, S. (2006). These texts have let me the concept of
theory and were introduced to the historical beginning and
development of the theory, and modern trends in the development of the theory.
It was interesting to find out what issues and
concepts are the basis of this concept. In
my view, the emergence of the theory is closely related to such sciences as
philosophy and sociology. The structure of concepts and variety of theories
introduced me to the theory as a special balanced world with its special
structure, hierarchy and the interaction of the elements of this world. Territory
of subject interests may involve effects on nature of the discipline such as
music or mathematics for example. And if there are interactions between two
several discipline that can open a new theory for them. For me, the theory has
evolved from ancient fossilized truths in living and growing organism, which
covers all areas of universe.
During
the seminar we discussed the text”What is theory?” and searched in the text statements
and utterances that can and cannot relate to the theory’s concept. This is a
useful exercise that helped participants acquainted better with the basics of
the theory. In the text “Theory” we selected one from the different types of
theories and explained
the advantages and disadvantages of the chosen
theory. The discussion was interesting and productive because each theory has
its own way to be interesting and multi-sided. In
principle/technically, we have proved in practice that the theory is objective
and not subjective. We must be familiar with
different opinions and points of view for knowledge of the theory.
Theory
is an abstract object which seeks to explain and describe the understanding of
the world and to make predictions of what will happen in the future. Modern technology combined
with a good theory can greatly enhance and improve the quality of research in
the total amount of existing disciplines. Especially, it provides a lot of
opportunities for research with combination of computer sciences and Internet technologies
and humanities sciences.
I like your sentence: "We must be familiar with different opinions and points of view for knowledge of the theory." I think for researchers it’s very important to be and to stay open minded. Otherwise the progress in subject areas will slow down. Especially in the era of new technology, where new developments have such a high impact, the status quo of a subject area can change totally. I also agree with you that new technology combined with good theory can improve the quality of research. But could new technology sometimes be to hindering for a good theory? For example too much information could it make hard to focus on the actual main points of a research? What do you think?
SvaraRaderaGood evening!
SvaraRaderaThank you for your comment. I think it is important to be open-minded. We use our mind as a filter when we accept information. It is helpful to use logic, different theories and humanitarian sciences such as philosophy and sociology when we need new knowledges. I my oppinion theory and technology don't hinder but compliment each other. Power of technology can be used for storage, perception, getting and sorting out the information. The humanitarian sciences can be used for analysis of different types of research and the process of thinking.
Best regards, Maksym