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<div><p>Ranganathan’s elucidation of <em>subject</em> in the light of ‘Infinity (∞)’</p></div>

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Title Statement <div><p>Ranganathan’s elucidation of <em>subject</em> in the light of ‘Infinity (∞)’</p></div>
 
Added Entry - Uncontrolled Name Dutta, Bidyarthi ; Vidyasagar University Midnapore 721 102 West Bengal
 
Uncontrolled Index Term Library Science; Knowledge Organization
Subject; Continuous Infinite Universe; S R Ranganathan; Ranganathan’s school; Infinity; Infinitesimal; George Cantor; George Gamow; Set theory
 
Summary, etc. <p class="Abstract">This paper reviews Ranganathan’s description of <em>subject</em> from mathematical angle. Ranganathan was highly influenced by Nineteenth Century mathematician George Cantor and he used the concept of infinity in developing an axiomatic interpretation of subject. Majority of library scientists interpreted the concept of subject merely as a term <br /> or descriptor or heading to include the same in cataloguing and subject indexing. Some library scientists interpreted subject on the basis of document, i.e. from the angle of the concept of <em>aboutness</em> or <em>epistemological potential</em> of the document etc. Some people explained subject from the viewpoint of social, cultural or socio-cultural process. Attempts were made to describe subject from epistemological viewpoint. But S R Ranganathan was the first to develop <br /> an axiomatic concept of subject on its own. He built up an independent idea of subject that is ubiquitously pervasive <br /> with human cognition process. To develop the basic foundation of subject, he used the mathematical concepts of <br /> <em>infinity</em> and <em>infinitesimal</em> and construed the set of subjects or universe of subjects as continuous infinite universe. <br /> The subject may also exist in extremely micro-form, which was termed as spot subject and analogized with point, which is dimensionless having only an existence. The influence of Twentieth Century physicist George Gamow on Ranganathan’s thought has also been discussed.</p>
 
Publication, Distribution, Etc. Annals of Library and Information Studies (ALIS)
2016-01-22 11:28:59
 
Electronic Location and Access application/x-unknown
http://op.niscair.res.in/index.php/ALIS/article/view/11415
 
Data Source Entry Annals of Library and Information Studies (ALIS); ##issue.vol## 62, ##issue.no## 4 (2015): Annals of Library and Information Studies
 
Language Note en
 
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