Is information systems a science?

Abstract

Some researchers have compared the information systems discipline with the physical and biological sciences, which suggests that information systems sits in the same academic space as the physical and natural sciences. Indeed, the language and perceptions expressed in journals such as the Transactions for Replication Research, which refer to “scientific consensus” and the involvement of information systems researchers in “the quest for scientific advancement”, supports this suggestion. In this paper, I argue that the view that information systems is a science in which general laws can be developed by applying statistical surveys and running laboratory experiments has negatively affected the development of the discipline. I argue that the discipline’s nature is such that one cannot pitch it as a science. After briefly discussing the motivation and philosophy that might underlie the perception of information systems as a science, I offer an alternative view of information systems as a deep, complex, and multi-layered discipline in the humanities. I propose dance studies as an appropriate discipline to twin with information systems.