SOCIETAL TAXONOMIES - MAPPING THE SOCIAL UNIVERSE

Taxonomies have played a much more important role in the development o f the sciences than is generally recognized by sociologists. They have provided both a foundation for the formulation of basic theory and a spur to innovative research. This paper traces the development from an cient times to the present of efforts to create a taxonomy of human so cieties, the most basic and inclusive of all social systems. It conclu des with a discussion of the question of whether there are compelling reasons for preferring any one of the various taxonomies that have bee n devised. Four principles for evaluating taxonomies are proposed and applied.