Claudio Gnoli

Facets and general categories used in bibliographic classification have been based on a disciplinary organization of knowledge. However, facets and categories of phenomena independent from disciplines can be identified similarly. Phenomena can be classified according to a series of integrative levels (layers), which in turn can be grouped into the major strata of form, matter, life, mind, society and culture, agreeing with Nicolai Hartmann’s ontology. Unlike a layer, a stratum is not constituted of elements of the lower ones; rather, it represents the formal pattern of the lower ones, like the horse hoof represents the shape of the steppe. Bibliographic categories can now be seen in the light of level theory: some categories are truly general, while others only appear at a given level, being the realization of a general category in the specific context of the level: these are the facets of that level. In the notation of the Integrative Level Classification project, categories and facets are represented by digits, and displayed in a Web interface with the help of colours.

Emergence can be described as a relationship between entities at different levels of organization, that looks especially puzzling at the transitions between the major levels of matter, life, cognition and culture. Indeed, each major level is dependent on the lower one not just for its constituents, but in some more formal way. A passage by François Jacob suggests that all such evolutionary transitions are associated with the appearance of some form of memory–genetic, neural or linguistic respectively. This implies that they have an informational nature. Based on this idea, we propose a general model of informational systems understood as combinations of modules taken from a limited inventory. Some informational systems are “semantic” models, that is reproduce features of their environment. Among these, some are also “informed”, that is have a pattern derived from a memory subsystem. The levels and components of informed systems can be listed to provide a general framework for knowledge organization, of relevance in both philosophical ontology and applied information services.

The recent informational paradigm suggests that there are relationships of formal dependence between the major levels of reality: matter, life, mind and culture, as each of them is a new way of recording models of other phenomena in some modular memory. Such memories – respectively energy, genomes, cognition and language – instruct the production of many copies of informed systems – that is bodies, organisms, behaviour and cultural heritage. The macro-level of culture is often reduced to the label of “social” but covers several sub-levels that have their characteristics. The objects of information science, including intellectual works and knowledge organization systems, belong to the sub-level of scholarship. Therefore they should be studied not just as mental, technical or social phenomena, but especially for the distinctive properties of scholarship, including active research initiative, explicit theories, scientific communication channels, cumulative knowledge recording and openness to criticism.

Authors in library and information science like Dewey, Otlet, Bliss, Ranganathan, Vickery, Kyle, Foskett, Austin and Dahlberg have developed a rich corpus of classification theory and practice, covering important techniques like hierarchical subdivision, facet analysis and ordering of arrays by integrative levels. The advent of digital information offers an opportunity to organize information using such techniques; but this heritage has often been forgotten in the illusion that automation has made it unnecessary. Nowadays bibliographic classification is subsumed in the field of knowledge organization, which covers the conceptual ordering of contents in libraries, archives, museums, digital collections and knowledge in general. We propose a broad view of knowledge organization as an intellectual guide to learning and scholarship grounded in philosophical ontology. Established classification principles can contribute their techniques for the production of general schemes of phenomena.

The field of knowledge organization was originally developed from library and information science, although it is of more general philosophical interest. Today its influential school of domain analysis is based on pragmatist views, according to which any classification reflects particular perspectives and purposes. This implies that there are many alternative ways to identify real, natural kinds and to group them, none of which would be superior to the others. The same concepts, e.g. rice and bamboo, are indeed grouped in different ways according to disciplinary contexts, e.g. biology or agriculture or economics. On the other hand, a principle of “unique definition” was identified in the 1960s by Jason Farradane and other members of the Classification Research Group to draft a general bibliographic classification based on phenomena (as opposed to disciplines): according to such principle, a concept can be defined at a specific level of organization then combined with concepts at other levels without losing its constant notation. Some classifications inspired by that research are currently under development. Classification structures are illustrated with some actual examples. It is shown how certain technical solutions developed for bibliographic organization of knowledge, including unique definition, may also offer contributions to address epistemological issues, suggesting a way towards the development of classifications that can serve as reference to reconnect different purposes.

Faceted knowledge organization systems have sophisticated logical structures, making their representation as linked data a demanding task. The term facet is often used in ambiguous ways: while in thesauri facets only work as semantic categories, in classification schemes they also have syntactic functions. The need to convert the Integrative Levels Classification (ILC) into SKOS stimulated a more general analysis of the different kinds of syntactic facets, as can be represented in terms of RDF properties and their respective domain and range. A nomenclature is proposed, distinguishing between common facets, which can be appended to any class, that is, have an unrestricted domain; and special facets, which are exclusive to some class, that is, have a restricted domain. In both cases, foci can be taken from any other class (unrestricted range: free facets), or only from subclasses of an existing class (parallel facets), or be defined specifically for the present class (bound facets). Examples are given of such cases in ILC and in the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC).

Introduction. This article recosiders some basic notions in library and information science, including those of work, knowledge organization system, information and library and information science itself, in light of the theory of levels of reality. Method. This theory is briefly outlined, especially in its version by Nicolai Hartmann, which considers ideal being, matter, life, mind and spirit (culture) as major levels, and analyzes spirit into personal spirit, objective (social) spirit and objectivated (intellectual) spirit. Objectivated spirit has been further analyzed into artefacts and mentefacts in Gnoli (2018). Analysis and results. Mentefacts is a notion of special relevance to library and information science. As suggested by commenters, works are mentefacts, although not the only type of them. For example, knowledge organization systems are also mentefacts, and should therefore be studied in all their three levels of personal, objective and objectivated spirit. Information as conceived by Floridi is a fundamental entity pertaining to all levels, rather than only to the level of mentefacts which is the focus of library and information science. Conclusions. This suggests that theoretical foundations of library and information science should not rely exclusively on Floridi’s philosophy of information, but more on notions specific to the level of mentefacts, such as those of concept, argument, work, citation, bibliographic family, subject, knowledge organization system etc. To be distinguished from other disciplines, library and information science should be conceived as a science of mentefacts.

This book provides a complete introduction to the rapidly expanding field of Knowledge organization (KO), presenting historical precedents and theoretical foundations in a discursive, intelligible form, covering the philosophical, linguistic and technical aspects. In the contemporary context of global information exchange through linked data, Knowledge organization systems (KOS) need to be represented in standard inter-operable formats. Different formats for KOS representation including MARC, Dublin Core, SKOS and OWL are introduced as well as the application of Knowledge organization to a variety of activities and contexts: education, encyclopedic knowledge, the Internet, libraries, archives, museums, galleries and other institutions collecting and providing access to recorded knowledge. Key coverage includes: • ontology and epistemology in KO • KO structures: lists, hierarchies, facets... • KO types: tagging, taxonomies, thesauri, classifications... • conceptual analysis of documents • applications in the digital age. Covering theoretical and practical aspects of KO and using real-life examples to illustrate its application, this book will be a valuable resource for students, researchers and practitioners of Knowledge organization, information organization, cataloguing and classification.

Emergence can be described as a relationship between entities at different levels of organization, that looks especially puzzling at the transitions between the major levels of matter, life, cognition and culture. Indeed, each major level is dependent on the lower one not just for its constituents, but in some more formal way. A passage by François Jacob suggests that all such evolutionary transitions are associated with the appearance of some form of memory–genetic, neural or linguistic respectively. This implies that they have an informational nature. Based on this idea, we propose a general model of informational systems understood as combinations of modules taken from a limited inventory. Some informational systems are “semantic” models, that is reproduce features of their environment. Among these, some are also “informed”, that is have a pattern derived from a memory subsystem. The levels and components of informed systems can be listed to provide a general framework for knowledge organization, of relevance in both philosophical ontology and applied information services.

This is an evolving short text drafting the main ideas of the author's ontology, before producing special articles on its various aspects. It suggests that the major ontical levels that can be identified in the world -- forms, matter, life, cognition and culture -- all can be described in terms of informational systems that follow combinatorial rules. The emergence of a major level from previous ones is triggered by the appearance of a new kind of memory (genomes, neural systems, symbolic languages). Indeed, each major levels consists of a class of informed systems, which includes a memory subsystem that informs the core subsystem shaped as a model of its environment, in turn interacting with it through the pragmatic subsystems of sensors and effectors. The main classes of phenomena in the world are shortly described and discussed in such terms. Note: The most updated version of this text can be found at gnoli .eu/ontoinfo .

The current debate between two theoretical approaches in library and information science and knowledge organization (KO), the cognitive one and the sociological one, is addressed in view of their possible integration in a more general model. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Personal knowledge of individual users, as focused in the cognitive approach, and social production and use of knowledge, as focused in the sociological approach, are reconnected to the theory of levels of reality, particularly in the versions of Nicolai Hartmann and Karl R. Popper (three worlds). The notions of artefact and mentefact, as proposed in anthropological literature and applied in some KO systems, are also examined as further contributions to the generalized framework. Some criticisms to these models are reviewed and discussed. Both the cognitive approach and the sociological approach, if taken in isolation, prove to be cases of philosophical monism as they emphasize a single level over the others. On the other hand, each of them can be considered as a component of a pluralist ontology and epistemology, where individual minds and social communities are but two successive levels in knowledge production and use, and are followed by a further level of “objectivated spirit”; this can in turn be analyzed into artefacts and mentefacts. While all these levels are relevant to information science, mentefacts and their properties are its most peculiar objects of study, which make it distinct from such other disciplines as psychology and sociology. This analysis shows how existing approaches can benefit from additional notions contributed by levels theory, to develop more complete and accurate models of information and knowledge phenomena.

The field of knowledge organization (KO) can be described as composed of the four distinct but connected layers of theory, systems, representation, and application. This paper focuses on the relations between KO theory and KO systems. It is acknowledged how the structure of KO systems is the product of a mixture of ontological, epistemological, and pragmatical factors. However, different systems give different priorities to each factor. A more ontologically-oriented approach, though not offering quick solutions for any particular group of users, will produce systems of wide and long-lasting application as they are based on general, shareable principles. I take the case of the ontological theory of integrative levels, which has been considered as a useful source for general classifications for several decades, and is currently implemented in the Integrative Levels Classification system. The theory produces a sequence of main classes modelling a natural order between phenomena. This order has interesting effects also on other features of the system, like the citation order of concepts within compounds. As it has been shown by facet analytical theory, it is useful that citation order follow a principle of inversion, as compared to the order of the same concepts in the schedules. In the light of integrative levels theory, this principle also acquires an ontological meaning: phenomena of lower level should be cited first, as most often they act as specifications of higher-level ones. This ontological principle should be complemented by consideration of the epistemological treatment of phenomena: in case a lower-level phenomenon is the main theme, it can be promoted to the leading position in the compound subject heading. The integration of these principles is believed to produce optimal results in the ordering of knowledge contents.

Facets and general categories used in bibliographic classification have been based on a disciplinary organization of knowledge. However, facets and categories of phenomena independent from disciplines can be identified similarly. Phenomena can be classified according to a series of integrative levels (layers), which in turn can be grouped into the major strata of form, matter, life, mind, society and culture, agreeing with Nicolai Hartmann’s ontology. Unlike a layer, a stratum is not constituted of elements of the lower ones; rather, it represents the formal pattern of the lower ones, like the horse hoof represents the shape of the steppe. Bibliographic categories can now be seen in the light of level theory: some categories are truly general, while others only appear at a given level, being the realization of a general category in the specific context of the level: these are the facets of that level. In the notation of the Integrative Level Classification project, categories and facets are represented by digits, and displayed in a Web interface with the help of colours.

One general principle in the construction of classification schemes is that of grouping phenomena to be classified according to their shared origin in evolution or history (phylogenesis). In general schemes, this idea has been applied by several classificationists in identifying a series of integrative levels, each originated from the previous ones, and using them as the main classes. In special schemes, common origin is a key principle in many domains: examples are given from the classification of climates, of organisms, and of musical instruments. Experience from these domains, however, suggests that using common origin alone, as done in cladistic taxonomy, can produce weird results, like having birds as a subclass of reptiles; while the most satisfying classifications use a well balanced mix of common origin and similarity. It is discussed how this could be applied to the development of a general classification of phenomena in an emergentist perspective, and how the resulting classification tree could be structured. Charles Bennett's notion of logical depth appears to be a promising conceptual tool for this purpose.

The different senses of the term _information_ in physical, biological, and social interpretations, and the possibility of connections between them, are addressed. Special attention is paid to Hofkirchner's Unified Theory of Information (UTI), proposing an integrated view in which the notion of information gets additional properties as one moves from the physical to the biological and the social realms. UTI is compared to other views of information, especially to two theories complementing several ideas of UTI: the theory of the hypertextual documental universe ("docuverse") and the theory of integrative levels of reality. Two alternative applications of the complex of these three theories are discussed: a pragmatical, hermeneutic one, and a more ambitious realist, ontological one. The latter can be extended until considering information ("bit") together with matter-energy ("it") as a fundamental element in the world. Problems and opportunities with each view are discussed. It is found that the common ground for all three theories is an evolutionary approach, paying attention to the phylogenetic connections between the different meanings of information. The paper builds on previously unnoticed affinities between different families of information-related theories, showing how each of them can provide fruitful complements to the other ones in clarifying the nature of information.

This is the first part of a study on the classification of phenomena. It starts by addressing the status of classification schemes among knowledge organization systems (KOSs), as some features of them have been overlooked in recent reviews of KOS types. It then considers the different dimensions implied in a KOS, which include: the observed phenomena, the cultural and disciplinary perspective under which they are treated, the features of documents carrying such treatment, the collections of such documents as managed in libraries, archives or museums, the information needs prompting to search and use these collections and the people experiencing such different information needs. Until now, most library classification schemes have given priority to the perspective dimension as they first list disciplines. However, an increasing number of voices are now considering the possibility of classification schemes giving priority to phenomena as advocated in the León Manifesto. Although these schemes first list phenomena as their main classes, they can as well express perspective or the other relevant dimensions that occur in a classified item. The independence of a phenomenon-based classification from the institutional divisions into disciplines contributes to giving knowledge organization a more proactive and influential role.

Recently, Floridi has proposed that ethics be centered on the notion of information, which would represent a value in itself. As anything contains information in some form, this stance would imply that anything has intrinsic value. While this perspective is intriguing as it would make information science an even more important domain, it needs to be refined by distinguishing between different levels of organized information. Instances of matter, of life, of minds, of civil society, and of cultural heritage all are different kinds of informational systems, each formed through an evolutionary path that has built on the previous levels, with a corresponding increase in what Bennett has defined as logical depth. This process makes the logically deepest phenomena especially valuable, as they could not be recreated without repeating the whole path. Personal experiences of individual humans, either shared orally or recorded in diaries, as well as collective knowledge and knowledge organization systems, that can be documented in texts or in images before disappearing, are especially precious sorts of information, and should be acknowledged the highest value. 1. Introduction Luciano Floridi's philosophy of information has been gaining a wide popularity in recent years. Among many important issues, Floridi's approach proposes a view of information as a value, which seems to be of special interest to this conference as a possible rationale to claim the objective value of information services and knowledge organization. Indeed, if information is a value in itself, then any activity aimed at the acquisition, conservation, and provision of information has to be considered and treated as intrinsically valuable, too. This paper discusses Floridi's basic claim in the light of notions provided by other theories of information, with special reference to the notion of logical depth, in order to attain a more detailed understanding of the value of information and of its implications for information services and knowledge organization.

Ontology, in its philosophical meaning, is the discipline investigating the structure of reality. Its findings can be relevant to knowledge organization, as well as models of knowledge can in turn offer relevant ontological suggestions. Several philosophers in time have pointed out that reality is structured into a series of integrative levels, like the physical, the biological, the mental, and the cultural one, and that each level plays as a base for the emergence of more complex ones. Among them, more detailed theories of levels have been developed by Nicolai Hartmann and James K. Feibleman, and these have been considered as a source for structuring principles in bibliographic classification by both the Classification Research Group (CRG) and Ingetraut Dahlberg. CRG's analysis of levels and of their possible application to a new general classification scheme based on phenomena instead of disciplines, as it was formulated by Derek Austin in 1969, is examined in detail. Both benefits and open problems in applying integrative levels to bibliographic classification are pointed out.