Is an all-purpose classification possible? Insights from Farradane’s approach to knowledge organization

Abstract The field of knowledge organization was originally developed from library and information science, although it is of more general philosophical interest. Today its influential school of domain analysis is based on pragmatist views, according to which any classification reflects particular perspectives and purposes. This implies that there are many alternative ways to identify real, natural kinds and to group them, none of which would be superior to the others. The same concepts, e.g. rice and bamboo, are indeed grouped in different ways according to disciplinary contexts, e.g. biology or agriculture or economics. On the other hand, a principle of “unique definition” was identified in the 1960s by Jason Farradane and other members of the Classification Research Group to draft a general bibliographic classification based on phenomena (as opposed to disciplines): according to such principle, a concept can be defined at a specific level of organization then combined with concepts at other levels without losing its constant notation. Some classifications inspired by that research are currently under development. Classification structures are illustrated with some actual examples. It is shown how certain technical solutions developed for bibliographic organization of knowledge, including unique definition, may also offer contributions to address epistemological issues, suggesting a way towards the development of classifications that can serve as reference to reconnect different purposes.