Figurative system of human knowledge
{{short description|Taxonomy of human knowledge}}
File:ENC SYSTEME FIGURE.jpeg with the original "figurative system of human knowledge" tree, in French]]
The "figurative system of human knowledge" ({{Langx|fr|Système figuré des connaissances humaines}}), sometimes known as the tree of Diderot and d'Alembert, was a tree developed to represent the structure of knowledge itself, produced for the Encyclopédie by Jean le Rond d'Alembert and Denis Diderot.
The tree was a taxonomy of human knowledge, inspired by Francis Bacon's The Advancement of Learning. The three main branches of knowledge in the tree are: "Memory"/History, "Reason"/Philosophy, and "Imagination"/Poetry.
Notable is the fact that theology is ordered under philosophy. The historian Robert Darnton has argued that this categorization of religion as being subject to human reason, and not a source of knowledge in and of itself (revelation), was a significant factor in the controversy surrounding the work.Robert Darnton, "Philosophers Trim the Tree of Knowledge: The Epistemological Strategy of the Encyclopedie," The Great Cat Massacre and Other Episodes in French Cultural History (New York: Basic Books, Inc., 1984), 191-213. "Knowledge of God" is only a few nodes away from divination and black magic.
Content
Below is a version of the Tree rendered in English as a bulleted outline.
"Detailed System of Human Knowledge"
from the Encyclopédie.
:* Memory.
::* History.
:::* Sacred (History of Prophets).
:::* Ecclesiastical.
:::* Civil, Ancient and Modern.
::::* Civil History, properly said. (See also: History of civil society)
::::* Literary History.
:::::* Memoirs.
:::::* Antiquities. (See also: Classical antiquity)
:::::* Complete Histories.
:::* Natural.
::::* Uniformity of Nature. (See: Uniformitarianism)
:::::* Celestial History.
:::::* History...
::::::* of Meteors.
::::::* of the Earth and the Sea (See also: Origin of water on Earth)
::::::* of Minerals. (See also: Geological history of Earth)
::::::* of Vegetables. (See also: History of agriculture)
::::::* of Animals. (See also: Evolutionary history of life)
::::::* of the Elements. (See also: Classical element, History of alchemy, and History of chemistry)
::::* Deviations of Nature.
:::::* Celestial Wonders.
:::::* Large Meteors. (See also: Asteroids)
:::::* Wonders of Land and Sea. (See: Wonders of the World)
:::::* Monstrous Minerals.
:::::* Monstrous Vegetables. (See: Largest plants, Poisonous plants, and Carnivorous plants)
:::::* Monstrous Animals. (See: Largest animals and Predators)
:::::* Wonders of the Elements. (See: Natural disasters)
::::* Uses of Nature (See Technology and Applied sciences)
:::::* Arts, Crafts, Manufactures.
::::::* Work and Uses of Gold and Silver.
:::::::* Minter.
:::::::* Gold Beaters.
:::::::* Gold Spinners.
:::::::* Gold Drawers.
:::::::* Silversmith & Goldsmith.
:::::::* Planisher
:::::::* Mounter（METTEUR EN ŒUVRE）,etc.
::::::* Work and Uses of Precious Stones.
:::::::* Lapidary.
:::::::* Diamond cutting.
:::::::* Jeweler, etc.
::::::* Work and Uses of Iron.
:::::::* Large Forges.
:::::::* Locksmith.
:::::::* Tool Making.
:::::::* Armorer.
:::::::* Gun Making, etc.
::::::* Work and Uses of Glass.
:::::::* Glassmaking.
:::::::* Plate-Glassmaking.
:::::::* Mirror Making.
:::::::* Optician.
:::::::* Glazier, etc.
::::::* Work and Uses of Skin.
:::::::* Tanner.
:::::::* Chamois Maker.
:::::::* Leather Merchant.
:::::::* Glove Making, etc.
::::::* Work and Uses of Stone, Plaster, Slate, etc.
:::::::* Practical Architecture.
:::::::* Practical Sculpture.
:::::::* Mason.
:::::::* Tiler, etc.
::::::* Work and Uses of Silk.
:::::::* Spinning.
:::::::* Milling.
:::::::* Needlecraft.
:::::::* Velvet.
:::::::* Brocaded Fabrics, etc.
::::::* Work and Uses of Wool.
:::::::* Cloth-Making.
:::::::* Bonnet-Making, etc.
::::::* Working and Uses, etc.
:* Reason
::* Philosophy
:::* General Metaphysics, or Ontology, or Science of Being in General, of Possibility, of Existence, of Duration, etc.
:::* Science of God.
::::* Natural Theology.
::::* Revealed Theology.
::::* Science of Good and Evil Spirits.
:::::* Divination.
:::::* Black magic.
:::* Science of Man.
::::* Pneumatology or Science of the Soul.
:::::* Reasonable.
:::::* Sensible.
::::* Logic.
:::::* Art of Thinking.
::::::* Apprehension.
:::::::* Science of Ideas
::::::* Judgement.
:::::::* Science of Propositions.
::::::* Reasoning.
:::::::* Induction.
::::::* Method.
:::::::* Demonstration.
::::::::* Analysis.
::::::::* Synthesis.
:::::* Art of Remembering.
::::::* Memory.
:::::::* Natural.
:::::::* Artificial.
::::::::* Prenotion.
::::::::* Emblem.
::::::* Supplement to Memory.
:::::::* Writing.
:::::::* Printing.
::::::::* Alphabet.
::::::::* Cipher.
:::::::::* Arts of Writing, Printing, Reading, Deciphering.
::::::::::* Orthography.
:::::* Art of Communication
::::::* Science of the Instrument of Discourse.
:::::::* Grammar.
::::::::* Signs.
:::::::::* Gesture.
::::::::::* Pantomime.
::::::::::* Declamation.
:::::::::* Characters.
::::::::::* Ideograms.
::::::::::* Hieroglyphics.
::::::::::* Heraldry or Blazonry.
::::::::* Prosody.
::::::::* Construction.
::::::::* Syntax.
::::::::* Philology.
::::::::* Critique.
:::::::* Pedagogy.
::::::::* Choice of Studies.
::::::::* Manner of Teaching.
::::::* Science of Qualities of Discourse.
:::::::* Rhetoric.
:::::::* Mechanics of Poetry.
::::* Ethics.
:::::* General.
::::::* General Science of Good and Evil, of duties in general, of Virtue, of the necessity of being Virtuous, etc.
:::::* Particular.
::::::* Science of Laws or Jurisprudence.
:::::::* Natural.
:::::::* Economic. (See also commercial law)
:::::::* Political. (See also political law)
::::::::* Internal and External. (See also foreign policy)
::::::::* Commerce on Land and Sea.
:::* Science of Nature
::::* Metaphysics of Bodies or, General Physics, of Extent, of Impenetrability, of Movement, of Word, etc.
::::* Mathematics.
:::::* Pure.
::::::* Arithmetic.
:::::::* Numeric.
:::::::* Algebra.
::::::::* Elementary.
::::::::* Infinitesimal.
:::::::::* Differential.
:::::::::* Integral.
::::::* Geometry.
:::::::* Elementary (Military Architecture, Tactics).
:::::::* Transcendental (Theory of Courses).
:::::* Mixed.
::::::* Mechanics.
::::::::* Statics.
:::::::::* Statics, properly said.
:::::::::* Hydrostatics.
::::::::* Dynamics.
:::::::::* Dynamics, properly said.
:::::::::* Ballistics.
:::::::::* Hydrodynamics.
::::::::::* Hydraulics.
::::::::::* Navigation, Naval Architecture.
::::::* Geometric Astronomy.
:::::::* Cosmography.
::::::::* Uranography.
::::::::* Geography.
::::::::* Hydrography.
:::::::* Chronology.
:::::::* Gnomonics.
::::::* Optics.
:::::::* Optics, properly said.
:::::::* Dioptrics, Perspective.
:::::::* Catoptrics.
::::::* Acoustics.
::::::* Pneumatics.
::::::* Art of Conjecture. Analysis of Chance.
:::::* Physicomathematics.
::::* Particular Physics.
:::::* Zoology.
::::::* Anatomy.
:::::::* Simple.
:::::::* Comparative.
::::::* Physiology.
::::::* Medicine.
:::::::* Hygiene.
::::::::* Hygiene, properly said.
::::::::* Cosmetics (Orthopedics).
::::::::* Athletics (Gymnastics).
:::::::* Pathology.
:::::::* Semiotics.
:::::::* Treatment.
::::::::* Diete.
::::::::* Surgery.
::::::::* Pharmacy.
::::::* Veterinary Medicine.
::::::* Horse Management.
::::::* Hunting.
::::::* Fishing.
::::::* Falconry.
:::::* Physical Astronomy.
::::::* Astrology.
:::::::* Judiciary Astrology.
:::::::* Physical Astrology.
:::::* Meteorology.
:::::* Cosmology.
::::::* Uranology.
::::::* Aerology.
::::::* Geology.
::::::* Hydrology.
:::::* Botany.
::::::* Agriculture.
::::::* Gardening.
:::::* Mineralogy.
:::::* Chemistry.
::::::* Chemistry, properly said, (Pyrotechnics, Dyeing, etc.).
::::::* Metallurgy.
::::::* Alchemy.
::::::* Natural Magic.
:* Imagination.
::* Poetry.
:::* Sacred, Profane.
::::* Narrative.
:::::* Epic Poem
:::::* Madrigal
:::::* Epigram
:::::* Novel, etc.
::::* Dramatic
:::::* Tragedy
:::::* Comedy
:::::* Opera
:::::* Pastoral, etc.
::::* Parable
:::::* Allegory
(Note: This next branch seems to belong to both the narrative and dramatic tree, as indicated by the line drawn connecting the two.)
::::* Music
:::::* Theoretical
:::::* Practical (see also musical technique)
:::::** Instrumental
:::::** Vocal
::::* Painting
::::* Sculpture
::::* Civil architecture
::::* Engraving
See also
References
{{reflist}}
Further reading
- Robert Darnton, "Epistemological angst: From encyclopedism to advertising," in Tore Frängsmyr, ed., The structure of knowledge: classifications of science and learning since the Renaissance (Berkeley, CA: Office for the History of Science and Technology, University of California, Berkeley, 2001).
- Adams, David (2006) 'The Système figuré des Connaissances humaines and the structure of Knowledge in the Encyclopédie', in Ordering the World, ed. Diana Donald and Frank O'Gorman, London: Macmillan, p. 190-215.
- Preliminary discourse to the Encyclopedia of Diderot, Jean Le Rond d'Alembert, translated by Richard N. Schwab, 1995. {{ISBN|0-226-13476-8}}
External links
- [http://www.hti.umich.edu/d/did/tree.html image of the Tree with English translations superimposed over the French text]
- [http://artfl.uchicago.edu/cactus/ ESSAI D'UNE DISTRIBUTION GÉNÉALOGIQUE DES SCIENCES ET DES ARTS PRINCIPAUX, published as a fold-out frontispiece in volume 1 of Pierre Mouchon, Table analytique et raisonnée des matieres contenues dans les XXXIII volumes in-folio du Dictionnaire des sciences, des arts et des métiers, et dans son supplément, Paris, Panckoucke 1780.]
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