A Pluralistic Approach to the Philosophy of Classification

Abstract

Any classification system should be evaluated with respect to a variety of philosophical and practical concerns. This paper explores several distinct issues: the nature of a work, the value of a statement, the contribution of information science to philosophy, the nature of hierarchy, ethical evaluation, pre-versus postcoordination, the lived experience of librarians, and formalization versus natural language. It evaluates a particular approach to classification in terms of each of these but draws general lessons for philosophical evaluation. That approach to classification emphasizes the free combination of basic concepts representing both real things in the world and the relationships among these; works are also classified in terms of theories, methods, and perspectives applied.

Classifying for Social Diversity

“…A classification that is useful but somewhat less supportive of diversity might then better achieve social justice. Any classification must be judged in terms of a broad array of both philosophical and practical considerations (see Szostak 2015). It is thus worth noting that the sort of classification (and thesaurus) urged here has many further advantages.…”

Classifying the humanities

“…He stresses throughout that a work is primarily defined by the ideas it conveys. I have suggested that “ideas” comprise some set of: descriptions of phenomena or relationships, causal arguments, theories applied, methods applied, and perspectives applied (Szostak 2014). Both Smiraglia and I appreciate that the subject matter of any work cannot be separated from its semantic content.…”