Abstract:
The act of classification is fundamental to human experience and central to the acquisition of knowledge. Though written classifications are a mainstay of literate societies everywhere, they vary representationally according to custom and convention. This study invokes a theoretical framework of positivism, pragmatism, and literary warrant to illustrate points of convergence between the Enumeration of the Sciences, a seminal classification of Islamic origin by Abu Nasr al-Farabi (c. 872-951), and prototypal Western classifications, chiefly the Dewey Decimal Classification. Results of this study indicate that the Farabi scheme, while written by a Muslim of international stature, is grounded in Western epistemology. This discovery may prove useful to scholars of Islamic Studies and Library and Information Science, who are engaged in the development of modern classifications that effectively represent Islam.
A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy in Library and Information Science.
