Classification is a concept that is interpreted as a general scientific methodology for systematizing knowledge, aimed at organizing a certain set (set) of objects of different segments of reality, activity and knowledge to be studied into a system of related classes (groups), according to which these objects are distributed on the basis of their similarities in certain essential properties. In our article, we will focus on the most important aspects of the presented category.
Class concept
Today you can often hear the concept of classification. What it is? A class should be understood as a finite or infinite collection of objects, distinguished by some attribute, relation or property common to them, conceivable as something whole. The objects that make up the class are called its elements. The key principle in classifying species is that each component of the collection of objects that encompass it must fall into a specific subset.
The main purpose of the classification
We found that classification is a method by which knowledge can be systematized. Its main purpose is to determine the place in the system of certain objects, as well as the formation of strong ties between them. This is what determines the normative-dimensional ordering of the whole set, which is divided into heteronomic to each other, however, homogeneous within itself by some signs of the subset that are separated from each other in the future. An entity that has a key (criterion) for classifying species can take advantage of the ability to navigate in a large number of objects.
This category always reflects the level of knowledge available at this point in time, here and now, and also summarizes it and forms the so-called “topological map”. However, if you look from the other side, we can conclude that the classification helps to find gaps in the knowledge that already exists. It serves as the basis for prognostic and diagnostic procedures.
Classification as a result of cognition
In the so-called “science of describing objects”, the classification of codes or other categories is the goal (result) of cognition (for example, systematics in biology or attempts to classify sciences in accordance with different grounds). It is worth noting that in our case, further development is presented as a proposal for a fundamentally new classification or improvement of the former. So, the term “classification” is used to designate the named procedure, and to display its result.
Main tasks
It is worth knowing that classification is a category that performs certain tasks. It is designed to solve two key of them: presentation in a convenient for viewing, further recognition and reliable form of the entire study area; the conclusion of extremely complete information related to its objects.
Category Types
It is customary to distinguish between artificial and natural classifications of systems or other objects. This depends primarily on the materiality of the feature laid in the foundation. A natural variation of the category implies the existence of an important criterion for distinguishing. Artificial classifications of tools, codes or techniques can be built in principle on the basis of any feature. Their options, as a rule, are various classifications of an auxiliary nature, including alphabetic, technical and the like.
Different classifications solve their problems differently. For example, the artificial classification of methods or systems where grouping is carried out on the basis of only conveniently distinguishable and arbitrarily selected characteristics of objects can only overcome the first of these problems. In a natural type variety, grouping is realized on the basis of a whole complex of properties inherent in objects that express their nature. This allows you to combine them into natural groups. In turn, the latter form a single system. In such a classification, the number of characteristics of classified objects that are aligned with their placement in the system is considered the largest when compared with other groups.
Category Differences
It turned out that classification is a systematization of information, which has two varieties. It is advisable to consider their main differences. So, a natural view, in contrast to an artificial one, based on a full understanding of the content of certain objects, is considered not to be banal descriptive and recognizing, but to explain the reasons for the commonality of the characteristics of classification groups by a category, as well as the nature of the relations that arise between groups. Among the well-known examples of this variety as applied to sciences, a periodic system of chemical elements can be noted; classification of crystals, which is carried out on the basis of Fedorov transforming groups; genealogical and morphological language classifications; phylogenetic systematics in a science such as biology.
In contrast to the artificial, as a rule, being built on a pragmatic basis, natural classification is formed on the basis of observational material and a pool of experimental data of a particular field of knowledge based on the synthesis of theoretical concepts and empirical generalizations. It can be concluded that the natural classification of the basic elements always always appears to some extent as a substantively substantiated typology that can solve problems of a meaningful plan, as well as form forecasts based on new results.
Empirical and theoretical
In addition to artificial and natural, it is customary to distinguish between empirical and theoretical classifications. To date, their other divisions are known, for example, into private and general. By the way, private people are called special in another way. The general classifications provide an overview of all objects of a particular kind. They suggest a grouping on the basis of characteristics that express a natural community and carry information about the reason for a given community, in other words, about some kind of natural pattern. Such a variety takes place in the sciences of the fundamental type, the main task of which is the objective knowledge of the real world by identifying the laws that dominate it. While special, that is, private classifications are characteristic primarily for practical, applied branches of knowledge, the main purpose of which is to ensure activity.
It should be noted that the subject area of special classifications is considered narrower than relatively general. They also come from the most important properties of an objective nature, which relate to the object to be divided. However, the grouping as a whole is implemented in this case in order to satisfy certain pragmatic requests. So, a special type of category complements and expands knowledge that reflects the general view.
Concept in logic
In logic, the classification of years or other categories is considered a special case of division. The latter is a distribution into groups of objects that are conceivable in the original concept. Groups resulting from the division are called its members. The sign in accordance with which the operation is performed is called the basis of division. It is worth noting that in every logical division there is thus a basis for division, a divisible concept and members of a division.
Differences from other forms
By its structure, in other words, by the type of those relations in which the concepts that make it up, in particular, the relations of coordination and subordination, reside, the classification differs from other forms of systematization of knowledge, for example, systems of a parametric plan characteristic of mathematical science, where the concepts relate directly with quantitative indicators. However, at the same time, division can be carried out not only in accordance with the qualitative characteristics of the objects of study, but also with parametric ones, having quantitative indicators as their basis and result.
Such a grouping is widely used in statistics, forming the base of statistical methods, which, as a rule, are used only in relation to quantitatively expressed information. In these cases, groupings are implemented on the basis of characteristics that can be measured and therefore have certain numerical values, and the whole order of the groups created in this way leads to a functional dependence or a peculiar distribution of numbers. When there are many meanings of a quantitative attribute that are simply registered, the mind is not able to capture the true essence of the phenomenon being studied. To determine its characteristic features, you need to concisely express the data that are available, as well as compact them through a grouping. Moreover, the latter should be one in which a significant part of the collected information is not lost or distorted, and as a result, an accurate picture of the phenomenon to be investigated is obtained. Qualitative and quantitative divisions do not overlap. Despite the fact that they have similar objects in their subject matter, they analyze their various aspects and exist in the general set of studies of these objects.
Submission of classifications
Classifications are usually presented in the form of tables or trees, which, in the end, come down to the structure of a hierarchical tree order, as shown in the figure:
The classification tree is a set of vertices (points) that are connected by edges (lines). Each of them is responsible for a certain class of volumes of concepts, that is, objects with similar features. These classes are commonly called taxonomic units (taxa). The ribs show which subspecies these taxa are broken into. The root of the tree is the top of K0. It represents a lot of objects of the original type. Taxa are grouped according to tiers. In each of the tiers taxa are collected, which are obtained as a result of using the same number of division operations to the original concept. It is worth noting that those that in the specific classification are no longer divided into species are called terminal taxa. The limiting classification is considered to be such, the taxa of the terminal type of which serve as individual concepts. Nevertheless, depending on the goals pursued in forming the classification, taxa of the end plan may not be considered as such.
Conclusion
So, we examined the category of classification and its main aspects. In conclusion, it should be noted that the development of science shows that the formation of classification goes through a number of stages, from artificial systems to the selection of natural groups and the establishment of a natural classification system. Aristotle relied precisely on the qualitative classification of physical bodies, which he divided according to the difference in their "nature", revealing the ways of their action.