A Reconsideration of Metatheories of Library and Information Science: A Chinese Information Philosophy Perspective.

In Western countries, the philosophy of information has emerged in the last two decades and influenced the core ideas of library and information science (LIS). Chinese information philosophy, which Kun Wu proposed in the 1980s, has been largely ignored in LIS. Chinese information philosophy is a unique academic school in the international information philosophy community and has great potential to update foundations in LIS. This paper investigates the value and implications of Chinese information philosophy for metatheoretical research in LIS. It draws out theories of this philosophy in the digital age to discuss insights LIS can gain, including in information ontology and epistemology, information thinking theory, information evolution theory, holographic theory, social information theory, and information production theory. Introducing Chinese information philosophy to LIS will change the metatheoretical landscape of the discipline and bridge Chinese and Western LIS to a large degree. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]