| Yes, I understand, like you I have the same question and desire for a map of all knowledge. It relates to library science, how to organize all books on all subjects; and in general, the aim of academia, an organized system to learn, research, and teach all subjects. On the dark side, it relates to Seeing Like a State, the quest for dominion over the entire world and everything in it. There is the concept of legibility, the limits of what you can know (see/measure/quantify/understand) and the vast unknown beyond it. So we must accept that the map can never be complete. But we can try! You'll have to create your own comprehensive outline and classification system. I'd start with an encyclopedic overview. > Below is a summary of the world's knowledge, in the form of an outline. Each subject in turn links to an outline that summarizes that subject. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contents/Outlines Culture and the arts
Geography and places
Health and fitness
History and events
Human activities
Mathematics and logic
Natural and physical sciences
People and self
Philosophy and thinking
Religion and belief systems
Society and social sciences
Technology and applied sciences
Each of these expanded: Culture and Humanities – Aesthetics • Anthropology • Archaeology • Celebrities • Classics • Communication studies • Critical theory • Cultural heritage • Ethics • Folklore • Language • Linguistics • Movements • Mythology • Philosophy • Popular culture • Religion and spirituality • Tourism • Traditions
The arts – Art galleries • Art schools • Museums
Literature – Poetry • Fiction (Novel • Short story • Fairy tale) • Screenwriting
Performing arts – Circus • Comedy • Dance • Film • Opera • Theatre
Visual arts – Animation • Architecture • Architecture history • Comics • Design • Digital art • Drawing • Fashion • Fashion design • Graphic design • Interior design • Landscape architecture • New media art • Painting • Photography • Sculpture • Textile arts
Geography – Atlas • City • Climate • Demographics • Earth • Exploration • Geographic information system • History of geography • Map • Park • Place • Population density • Region • Spatial analysis • Subregion • Surveying
History by region, time period, subject
Human activity – Agriculture • Arts • Business • Child care • Communication • Crime • Educating (Learning, Teaching) • Entertainment • Exercise • Exploration (Underwater exploration, Space exploration) • Globalization • Hobbies • Industrialisation • Innovation • Law enforcement • Learning • Leisure activities • Management • Massage • Medicine • Navigation • Philosophy • Politics (Governance) • Publishing • Recreation • Religion • Reproduction • Resource consumption • Science • Sex • Shopping • Spending • Sport • Thinking • Transporting • Traveling • Underwater diving • Warfare
Formal sciences – Information theory • Logic • Statistics • Theoretical computer science
Mathematics – Algebra • Applied mathematics • Arithmetic • Calculus • Equations • Geometry • Mathematical analysis • Mathematics education • Mathematical practice • Measurement • Numbers • Philosophy of mathematics • Probability • Proofs • Theorems • Topology • Trigonometry
Natural science – Physics • Astronomy • Biology • Chemistry • Earth science • Materials science • Computer science
Philosophy – Aesthetics • Ethics • Epistemology • Logic • Metaphysics
Social sciences – Accounting • Anthropology • Archaeology • Behavioural science • Cognitive science • Communication studies • Criminology • Critical theory • Cultural studies • Demography • Development studies • Economics • Education • Geography • History • International relations • Law • Linguistics • Management • Political science • Psychology • Public administration • Social policy • Social work • Sociology
Technology and applied sciences – Aerospace • Agriculture, Agricultural science & Agronomy • Architecture • Automation • Automobile • Big science • Biotechnology • Cartography • Communication • Construction • Design • Electronics • Energy development • Energy storage • Engineering (Chemical engineering, Civil engineering, Electrical engineering, Mechanical engineering) • Ergonomics • Firefighting • Food science • Forensics • Forestry • Free software • Health sciences • Health Informatics • Industry • Information science (Library and information science) • Internet • Machines • Management • Manufacturing • Mass communication • Mass production • Medicine • Military science • Military technology and equipment • Mining • Nanotechnology • Nuclear technology • Packaging and labeling • Processes • Robotics • Space exploration • Technology forecasting • Telecommunications • Tools • Weapons
---And all academic subjects. > Academic disciplines are conventionally divided into the humanities (including philosophy, languages, art and cultural studies), the natural sciences (such as physics, chemistry, and biology); the formal sciences like mathematics and computer science; and the social sciences https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outline_of_academic_discipline... Humanities
Performing arts
Visual arts
History
Languages and literature
Law
Philosophy
Religious studies
Divinity
Theology
Religion
Social science
Anthropology
Archaeology
Business
Economics
Futurology
Geography
Linguistics
Political science
Psychology
Sociology
Interdisciplinary studies
Area studies
Ethnic and cultural studies
Organizational studies
Natural science
Physical Science
Space sciences
Astronomy
Physics
Chemistry
Earth science
Life science
Biology
Formal science
Computer science
Logic
Mathematics
Pure mathematics
Applied mathematics
Statistics
Applied science
Agriculture
Architecture and design
Education
Engineering and technology
Chemical engineering
Civil engineering
Educational technology
Electrical engineering
Materials science
Mechanical engineering
Systems science
Environmental studies and forestry
Family and consumer science
Human physical performance and recreation
Journalism, media studies and communication
Library and museum studies
Medicine and health
Military sciences
Public administration
Public policy
Social work
Transportation
---Getting closer, but as you can see, there are significant holes. Some of that can be improved by filling in the details. But it becomes clear that there is a cultural bias in these outlines and lists, of what subjects are worthy of study in academia, or what to include in an encyclopedia. Beyond that, for example, there is oral or even non-verbal knowledge and understanding passed from one generation to the next, or from teacher to student, in world cultures large and small, such as musical or religious/mystical traditions. What's also lacking is a classification system, like the Dewey Decimal or Library of Congress system. Again, you'll have to come up with your own organization, because I'm sure you'll find that none of the existing systems are satisfactory. Here's a good start. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Dewey_and_Librar... --- A related question is how to map and classify all digital objects. DOI - Digital Object Identifier - https://www.doi.org/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_Ontology_Language Also, one can think about semantic networks and knowledge graphs. The systems of organization described so far assume that everything can be represented in a hierarchical list, a limited form of tree structure. However, in the human brain and in the real world, relationships between concepts and things form graph structures. What kind of classification system would be able to better represent graphs rather than lists of lists? I wish you good luck in your quest. One of my favorite intellectuals is Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, considered a "polymath" or "Renaissance man", who seeked to systematically organize all of human knowledge. See, for example: Alphabet of human thought; Characteristica universalis; and Calculus ratiocinator. His explorations and concepts were very influential in the invention of computers. |