Lifeworld and meaning - Information in relation to context

Abstract

This paper proposes a concept of information defined as semantic links to a meaning external to the information, located in the structure of the lifeworld. In building upon Habermas' Theory of Communicative Action, the progress of linguistically coordinated action in the lifeworld through speech acts connected with claims of validity is briefly described. The claim is put forward that the meaning of a statement or an artefact can only be determined through communicative action since all information is semantically contextualized in the lifeworld, the basic structure of society within which the reproduction of world views and cultural traditions occurs. However, communicative rationality shapes social institutions into a system of growing complexity that exerts pressure on the lifeworld, increasing the need for communicative action. The function of facilitating the evaluation of validity claims makes access to information necessary for consensus formation and action coordination, thereby emphasizing the significance of IS. The paper presents a model of contextualized praxis as it concludes that information specialists must act communicatively. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2005.