Information, Knowledge and Wisdom:The Epistemic Hierarchy andComputer-Based Information Systems

As we move further into the Information Age, and as its technology becomes moreand more pervasive, it is appropriate to consider exactly what information might be and what part it should play in the formation of belief and, perhaps, even knowledge. My goal is to contribute a little to lessening the confusion of definitions and to suggest a meter by which we can measure whether we know a thing presented by an information system, merely believe it, or simply have a piece of information and further, whether a computerized information system can be a valid tool for moving our thinking up the epistemic hierarchy.This paper will 1.) look at some contemporary definitions of information and test their fitness against a philosophical definition, 2) define and distinguish the formal requirements for knowledge as opposed to belief, 3.) examine a definition of knowledge and epistemic warrant adaptable to Information Systems, and 4.) evaluate how this criterion might assist our decision maker of the beginning of this paper