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Systematic vs. Alphabetic Order
Document from The Zurich Project
"Vor- und Nachteile der systematischen und alphabetischen Ordnung"
Translation made by Sabine Michel
Disadvantages
Systematic | Alphabetical |
|---|---|
Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Splits related subjects (the articles "War" and "Peace") and juxtaposes unrelated subjects ("Mammon" and "Mammoth"). |
Information can be found even if one does not know the exact terminology of its entry. This makes relatively open searches possible. | The user must have a list of well-defined keywords (under "Crowfoot" he or she will not find Ranunculus acer, because it is filed under "Buttercup"). |
By indicating its position within the taxonomy, additional information about the object is given. | Each item's position within the system has to be specially explained (causing redundancy). |
Translatability to other languages; to some extent the structure can even be said to be independent of language. | |
It is possible to surmise where knowledge has not yet been sufficiently processed, and where there are knowledge gaps. | |
Disadvantages | Advantages |
The multidimensionality of the objects means that in many cases a single object should really be tied to several branches (i.e come under several headings), but this is precisely what the taxonomic system forbids (cross-classification) | The same problem, although it is less evident! |
The user must know the shape of the tree in order to arrive at the desired piece of information; if he accidentally takes a wrong branch, he comes away empty-handed. ("Devilfish" cannot be found under "Theology", but under "Fish"). | Greater ease of use for non-specialist readers because they do not need to learn how to use a specific system. |
Systematic classification is inflexible and cannot keep up with the ever-unpredictable development of the sciences. Modifications necessitated by scientific progress are difficult to achieve. | Fresh knowledge can be incorporated simply by applying patches here and there. |
Remedies | Remedies |
Alphabetical indexes, cross-references ("renvois") | Systematic tables, charts, diagrams giving general overviews, cross-references. |
