The aim of all investigations is knowledge building. Philosophical assumptions play significant roles in this knowledge-building process. The foundation of philosophical assumptions encompasses ontology and epistemology. Ontology refers to a philosophical postulation that informs the nature of reality of the sources from which the knowledge is produced. Epistemology, on the other hand, is the science of knowing (the knowledge), which informs how something is known that is wanted to be known. Proper ontological and epistemological knowledge guides investigators to work in the right way. In the knowledge-creating process, researchers’ familiarity with the philosophy of knowledge plays a significant role to produce trustworthy information. It also supports interested readers to decide whether they will accept or reject the results of an investigation. This article attempts first to explain the different concepts related to philosophical underpinning. Later it attempted to discuss the necessity of using philosophical aspects, including ontology and epistemology, in the knowledge-building process. This article is written based on existing available literature in the relevant field.

DOI : #

Authors : Fozle Khoda

Keywords : social investigation, knowledge-building, philosophical assumptions, ontology, epistemology.