Pragmatic ontology—Enhancing the philosophical foundation of critical systems thinking/practice

Bibliographic Data

ID7169285
AuthorsZhichang Zhu (0000-0003-2037-2701, Centre for Systems Studies University of Hull Hull UK, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume42
Issue1
Pages83-97
Publication date2025-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSystems Research and Behavioral Science (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1092-7026 • E-ISSN: 1099-1743
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/sres.3089
OpenAlexW4403844239
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited52

A sound theoretical foundation for multimethodology should be consistent across the main branches of philosophy: ontological heterogeneity, epistemological plurality and methodological multiplicity. In this light, I posit that (1) Jackson's recent embracement of pragmatism lacks a critical element, a well‐formulated ontology; (2) to overcome this shortcoming, it is necessary to bring ontology back into critical systems thinking/practice; and (3) such an urgent task has further to overcome the current indifference in systems thinking toward ontology. I shall draw intellectual insights from Quine's ‘ontological commitment’, Habermas's ‘ontological presupposition’, Xu Changfu's ‘theory of heterogeneity’, Husserl's ‘ontology layers’, Gadamer's hermeneutic notions ‘prejudice’ and ‘tradition’, as well as ‘ontology building’ practice across the natural and social sciences. I shall also use a multimethodology approach, wuli – shili – renli (WSR), as an example to illustrate the working and evolving of pragmatic ontology

Cognitive science · Engineering ethics · Epistemology · Knowledge management · Management science · Ontology · Political science · Cognitive Science and Mapping · Complex Systems and Decision Making · Computer Science · Engineering · Information Systems Theories and Implementation · Philosophy · Psychology

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