LS 500 The Notion of Category...

Barite, M. (2000). The Notion of "Category:" Its Implications in Subject Analysis and in the Construction and Evaluation of Indexing Languages. Knowledge Organization 27:4-10.

Introduction

There is not very much written on the topic of categories. This may be as the author suggests due to the fact that categories matter only to classificationists. Barite poses the following question:

What do we designate when we make reference to categories?

Ranganathan brought the concept from Philosophy to the Classification of Knowledge – he constructed a system of classification called the Colon Classification based on his theoretical ideas.

The author does mention that the comprehension of the concept if neither simple nor easily accessible.

Definitions

• It is not possible to characterize categories in the Theory of Classification.
• Categories are generally abstract expressions, so they can be perceived in any entity, element or object.
• Categories simplified as abstractions with the strength of intellectual instruments are used by classificationists to investigate regularities of objects of the physical and ideal world and for representing notions.

Usefulness

1. Design, planning and structuring of indexing languages or systems of knowledge.
2. Modification or specification of classification tables.
3. The evaluation and analysis of indexing languages and systems of concepts through a set of parameters capable of establishing the grade of reciprocal tension among related concepts and their relevance and validity.
   

Category, Object and Analyst

It is not possible to isolate the notion of category from those of object and analyst. The complexity of any object impedes global, integral and complete analysis. Object attributes that condition its study:

• Any object is naturally dynamic and mutable.
• The object may be real or ideal.
• Some objects have delimitation problems.
• A large part of the objects belong to, or occur in a phase of the time-space continuum, or rather flow along a section of that continuum.

Characters of Categories

• Every category is a sectorial one.
• Every category implies a specific level of analysis.
• Categories are levels of analysis external to the object.
• Categories are mutually excluding
• Every category is highly generalizable.
• Every category may admit, with reference to an object, variable levels of subdivision.
• Agreement has not been reached regarding a limited collection of categories.

Conclusion and Reflection

At the end of the article the author proposes greater attention should be shown to this topic. I have to agree with that along with requesting that it be in simpler terms. After two readings my mind is still boggling with some of the terms and ideas. The references to the time-space continuum made me think of a play I know that involved paradoxes. I can only hope that I will understand this topic more after my class tomorrow night.