Rafael Capurro and the philosophy of information: approaches, concepts and research methodologies in Information Science

Abstract

This paper analyzes the work related to the Information Science produced by Rafael Capurro. The text initially presents the influence of the personal and academic profile of Capurro on his epistemological approach to the Information Science. The historical roots of the IS, the concepts “information” and “message”, and the paradigms and proposals suggested by Capurro. The conclusions emphasize the contributions by Capurro to the IS, more specifically: philosophical foundations of the field, toward hermenetics; the identification of the existence of Capurro’s Trilemma; and the proposal of the angeletics – the “theory of message” – as a theory for IS. As alternatives to the Capurro’s evaluation about the fact that hermeneutics would be the only available paradigm to the IS, it is suggested that the research in the IS must be done toward interdisciplinary research programs, with philosophical, theoretical and practical approaches aggregated by themes, or problems. The programs would also support the prolific coexistence of approaches oriented toward the technology, the user and the society.