Ranganathan's universe of knowledge and categorial thinking

It has been argued that if any classification system or theory is to be fully understood it should be regarded as part of a specific socio-cultural and philosophical framework. This implies that an inquiry into their foundations needs to include also an analysis of the underlying ontological and epistemological questions. Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan's ideas about classification are not an exception. In this paper it is asserted that these ideas were influenced significantly by the Indian philosophical tradition, in which together with metaphysical thinking schools of logic and dialectics sprung up too. Some authors have stressed the kinship with the Nyaya-Vaisesika system (Adhikary and Nandi 2003). Indeed, Colon Classification embeds elements of the Hindu worldview, such as the idea of transitoriness in respect to the ceaseless transformation of the universe and above all the inclination to analyze existence in fundamental categories. The paper is structured as follows. First, I examine Ranganathan's idea of the 'universe of knowledge'. I highlight how his search for a new approach to classification (beyond the enumerative model) was instigated by this idea. Then Ranganathan's approach is scrutinized in the light of the cultural background in which it developed. In particular, his PMEST is looked at against the background of the Indian philosophical tradition, comparing it with the Vaisesika categorial systems. Fìnally, the role of categorial systems as a cognitive means is analyzed. Certain basic categories have surfaced within the Indo-European linguistic and cultural frame in different ages and latitudes. The fact that they are somehow 'culturally constructed' does not undermine their role of establishing the meaningful domain of discourse of a cultural tradition.