Q&A: Compiling Conceptual Categories
Compiling Conceptual Categories
Question
An idea came to me for a taxonomies project, and I’d be glad to hear your opinion. I thought of putting together a team of Torah scholars who would work on compiling the conceptual categories and underlying ideas found in the Talmudic texts (such as object/person, action/result, and the like). But I got stuck on the ordering and classification of the material. That is, how would the learner know what to look for, if he doesn’t even know the concepts he’s supposed to be looking for? Do you have an idea? Honestly, I think it may be impossible. Is it even doable?!
Answer
I didn’t understand. I myself wrote about exactly this kind of thing. I explained that finding a logical classification that would make sense to a reader who isn’t already familiar with it is a task worthy of a Nobel Prize.
Discussion on Answer
That was in the Oral Torah (in a recorded lecture). See some hints here:
https://mikyab.net/%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%AA/%D7%A9%D7%90%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%A2%D7%9C-%D7%A1%D7%93%D7%A8%D7%AA-%D7%94%D7%A9%D7%99%D7%A2%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%A2%D7%9C-%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%93-%D7%AA%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%94
I’ve discussed this several times in the past.
Thanks. Still, it’s pretty disappointing. I already thought I’d stumbled onto a great discovery…
Ah, blessed be He who guided me to the mark—or maybe unfortunately; I was hoping you’d come up with some successful solution for me! In any case, could I get the place where you wrote about this?