category
a general concept that marks divisions or coordinations in a conceptual scheme
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent explain categories as concepts of classification, relay philosophical, cognitive and practical perspectives from academic sources with attribution, describe how categories are formed and used, and distinguish the general sense from the mathematical category and from specific taxonomies.
A general concept that marks divisions or coordinations in a conceptual scheme, also called a kind, sort, form, variety, rubric or pigeonhole, used to group things by shared features, studied in philosophy since Aristotle s categories and Kant s categories of the understanding, in cognitive science as categorisation, and in classification systems, with a distinct technical sense in mathematics as an object of category theory.
What it is for: Dividing and grouping concepts.
It can be explain the concept; relay perspectives; describe formation and use; distinguish senses.
Distinguishing features
Grouping by features
Scheme-relative
Philosophical roots
Cognitive basis
What it looks like
Not a visible object; a division in a scheme.
How it is recognised
Concept marking a division in a scheme
Kind, sort, form, variety, rubric, pigeonhole
A mathematical category is a structure of objects and morphisms; a taxon is a biological group
Related models
is a kind of - in general terms
is studied in - in cognitive science
is used in - systems
is contrasted with - the mathematical sense
In practice
Families and kinds
philosophical categories from Aristotle to Kant
cognitive categories and prototypes
classification categories in libraries and databases
social categories
grammatical categories
mathematical categories as a separate sense
Identifiers
WordNet oewn-05844071-n a general concept that marks divisions or coordinations in a conceptual scheme
Standards and regulation
No regulation; classification standards such as library systems
Failure modes and hazards
Confusing senses
Treating categories as natural rather than scheme-relative
Category errors in reasoning
Analytical facets
- substance
- information
- origin
- conceptual
- agency
- inert
- mobility
- not-applicable
- scale
- not-applicable
- affordances
- readable
Also called
+142
Where this came from
oewn:2024 · CC BY 4.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Understand What a category is.
Definition.
Definition
Definition.
Definition
Definition.
- What is a category in the general sense, and how does it differ from the mathematical sense and from a taxon? definition
- Is the question about the general concept, philosophy, cognition or mathematics? boundary
Terms
Related terms.
Terms
Terms.
- How do kind, sort, form, variety, rubric and pigeonhole differ in usage? definition
- Which entry fits the specific term? action
Philosophy Philosophy.
Attribution.
Classical
Classical categories.
Classical
Classical.
- What are Aristotle s categories and Kant s categories, with positions attributed? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
Modern
Modern debates.
Modern
Modern.
- What debates exist about natural kinds, category mistakes and ontology? provenance
- Which sources are cited? provenance
Cognition Cognition and practice.
Science.
Cognitive
Categorisation.
Cognitive
Cognitive.
- How do people form categories, and what are prototype and exemplar theories? provenance
- Which entry fits categorisation? action
Systems
Classification systems.
Systems
Systems.
- How are categories designed in libraries, databases and knowledge graphs? action
- Which entry fits classification system? action
Context Society and mathematics.
Context.
Social
Social categories.
Social
Social.
- How do social categories shape identity and policy, with positions attributed? provenance
- Is the presentation neutral? boundary
Mathematics
Category theory.
Mathematics
Mathematics.
- What is a category in mathematics? provenance
- Which entry fits category theory? action
What the second pass must settle
- Should categorisation and category theory be separate primary entries?
- How should philosophical sources be linked?
- How should the WordNet sense relate to registry categories themselves?