Embracing Schopenhauer in the Information Systems Discipline: Will, Representation, Compassion, and Aesthetics in Digital Artifacts

Abstract

As the dark sides of digitalization become strikingly evident, there is a growing need for Information Systems (IS) scholars to address societal challenges by shaping digital artifacts that genuinely promote human flourishing. To this end, this paper introduces Schopenhauer's ontology of metaphysical voluntarism, epistemology of subjective representationism, ethics of compassion, and aesthetics of art appreciation as relief from suffering to the IS discipline. Offering Schopenhauerian re-interpretations of sociomateriality as will, affordances as representations, design as compassion, and usefulness as aesthetics, the paper advances understanding of behavioral IS research, design science research, and digital ethics, with profound implications for future study of digitalization.