CHOICE OF SCHEME FOR CLASSIFICATION - Indian Statistical ...

independent embodiment as books or as articles in periodicals or as sections of books. Their
number runs to more than a million. The number of possible sequences will be: Factorial
of the number of Compound Subjects — a fabulously big number. In any Scheme for
Classification, these are first broken down to a few hundreds of Basic Subjects. The sequence
of Main Subjects has been considered in Sec 2. Further, the sequence of the canonical divisions
of each Main Subject is generally an accepted one. Thus, the problem of the Sequence
of Compound Subjects in the Universe of Subjects at large is reduced to that of the
Sequence of Compound Subjects going with a single Basic Subject. If we assume the
number of Basic Subjects to be 200, the reduction is to 1/200. Even then, the number of
Compound Subjects is too large to be settled at the phenomenal level of the Compound
Subjects.
5.1.1 Reduction in the Idea Plane
The magnitude of the problem should be reduced still further. One approach will be
1. To determine a helpful sequence among the Isolate Ideas in each schedule of
Common Isolates. The greater the number of schedules of Common Isolates, the
greater will be the reduction in the magnitude of the problem;
2. To determine a helpful sequence among the Isolate Ideas in each of the
schedules of the Special Isolates likely to be found in the set of Compound
Subjects going respectively with each of the Basic Subjects. The greater the
number of schedules of such Special Isolates, the greater will be the reduction
in the magnitude of the problem; and
3. To determine a helpful uniform pattern for the sequence among the facets of a
Compound Subject. The more uniform the pattern of this sequence, the greater
will be the reduction in the magnitude of the problem.
5.1.2 Reduction in the Notational Plane
The benefit derived from the approach suggested for the Idea Plane can be
exploited fully if and only if
1. The Notational System of the scheme has got the necessary versatility to
implement each one of the findings in the Idea Plane; and
2 . The digits in the Notational System are invested with scheduled, systematic,
and seminal mnemonic values. The more extensive the mnemonic system, the
more easy will be the implementation of the findings of the Idea Plane.
5.2 Decimal Classification
5.2.1 Regression
Unfortunately, the present editors of DC have taken a regressive step. They have
started off on the assumption that there is an irresolvable conflict between "shelf