Foucault, Borges, Ranganathan, and classification

I have included the "Chinese classification" that Foucault describes, just because it is so fun.

Then, you will see a couple of colon classification numbers. If you are interested in the rest of the presentation or have questions, please let me know.

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Michel Foucault, in The Order of Things starts with a list, from Borges, that is supposedly from a 'certain Chinese encyclopaedia' in which it is written that 'animals are divided into:

a) belonging to the Emperor,
b) embalmed,
c) tame,
d) suckling pigs,
e) sirens,
f) fabulous,
g) stray dogs,
h) included in the present classification,
i) frenzied,
j) innumerable,
k)drawn with a very fine camelhair brush,
l) et cetera,
m) having just broken the water pitcher,
n) that from a long way off look like flies.

Of this list Foucault says, "In the wonderment of this taxonomy, the thing we apprehend in one great leap, the thing that, by means of the fable, is demonstrated as the exotic charm of another system of thought is the limitation of our own, the stark impossibility of thinking that."

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Example 1:

X:9.73 (Economics of labor in the U.S.)
Labor (9) is the Energy facet and so attached to X by :
. Before 73 indicates Space facet

Example 2:

"Research in the cure of the tuberculosis of lungs by x-ray conducted in India in 1950s"
L,45;421:6;253:f.44'N5
Medicine,Lungs;Tuberculosis:Treatment;Xray:Research.India'1950

Dewey Decimal (DDC) is also capable of doing faceted classification. In this example most, but not all, facets are able to be expressed in Dewey.


"Research in the cure of the tuberculosis of lungs by x-ray conducted in India in 1950s"
•616.995 is the base number-600 Technology-- 610 Medicine --- 616 Diseases
»616.995 Tuberculosis
•ADD -0724 (Experimental research from Table 1)
•616.9950724
•616.99507240954 (in India 09-geog facet, -54 India)

So in Dewey we are able to express that this is about experimental research in India, but not able to express that the treatment is x-ray and that it took place in the 1950s.