Sperberg-McQueen’s “Classification and its Structures,” made me realize that grouping subjects based on specific properties is not as simple as it seems. Classifying a field is a complex task because of the many details and rules accounted for when distinguishing properties of the object being classified. I have always thought of classifying as a process of identifying the “odd” object out of a group and then disregarding it as an object that should not be classified in that specific group. However, I did not take into account the many rules of classification. It is difficult to classify fields because many are often classified as n-dimensional spaces, which means such a system includes “increasingly fine distinctions” of subfields. For example, the Dewey Decimal Classification system includes many smaller subclasses that branch off from larger classes. Sperberg-McQueen referred to the success of the classification within the Dewey Decimal System more than once.
Sperberg-McQueen’s journal made me think of the father of taxonomy, Carl Linnaeus, and his first famous publication. According to online article “Systema Naturae- an epoch making book,” Linnaeus’s Systema Naturae, written in latin, classifies the animal, stone, and plant kingdoms, which were fairly new to the classification world in 1735. He used a system known as binomial nomenclature, which in some form is used today and gives species a two-part name in order to classify them into different genus and species. Linnaean’s works of classification led to greater discoveries and millions of improvements within the rules of not only the classification of organisms, but also the classification of any object.
Classification systems are necessary in order to organize and then further understand information. Online classification systems and archives can be taken for granted in society. Many people forget about the work involved in creating any form of organized records especially when it comes to the Internet. Since the Internet is something that society relie on, more classification systems and archives are needed for online management and hopefully will not be taken for granted.
Works Cited:
“Systema Naturae – an Epoch-making Book.” Linné On Line. Ed. Roland Moberg. Uppsala Universitat, 2008. Web. Oct. 2014.