Ampère's Classification of Sciences
Updated 2026-08-22
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
Andre-Marie Ampere set out the classification in his 1834 Essay on the Philosophy of the Sciences, dividing knowledge into sciences of the material world and sciences of the mind and society, then subdividing each by level of abstraction and object. The scheme uses the object of study rather than the method as its criterion, which makes disciplinary boundaries explicit. The qualification is that modern fields cross these divisions, so the classification works as a navigational aid rather than as a statement of where knowledge really ends.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Use Discipline Placement: decide whether a question belongs to the material or the mental sciences first. - Use Paradigm Check: confirm that the tools you plan to borrow come from a compatible discipline.
Anchor fast decisions
Methods carry assumptions about what their objects are like. Placing a question in the classification first shows which assumptions travel with the methods available for it, so a researcher can see when a technique developed for matter is being applied to something it was never designed to describe.
MINIMUM ACTION
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essai_sur_la_philosophie_des_sciencesverified
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