THE CLASSIFICATION OF THE SCIENCES 405 



existent sciences. Peirce condemns certain classifications on 

 these grounds. "Many of these schemes introduce sciences 

 which nobody ever heard of; so that they seem to aim at 

 classifying, not actually existent sciences, but possible 

 sciences." 1 He says of his own scheme, on the other hand: 

 "This classification which aims to base itself on the principal 

 affinities of the objects classified, is concerned not with all 

 possible sciences, not with so many branches of knowledge, 

 but with sciences in their present condition, as so many 

 businesses of groups of living men." 2 Both the Kantian 

 and the Hegelian schemes strike one as attempts to force 

 the existent sciences into preconceived forms. Equally 

 artificial are the classifications which legislate for the future. 

 The problem seems to be essentially an empirical one, and 

 demands the techniques which are adapted to this type of 

 problem. 



It follows, however, that a classificatory scheme is relevant 

 to the historical scene out of which it emerges, and its ade- 

 quacy should be measured in these terms. "If Plato's 

 classification was satisfactory in his day, it cannot be good 

 today; and if it be good now, the inference will be that it 

 was bad when he proposed it." 3 The development of thought 

 exhibits both the origination of new disciplines, and the 

 disappearance of pseudo-disciplines. One should hardly 

 expect the medieval scheme to have a place for psychology 

 and anthropology, and one should rightly condemn any 

 modern scheme which included alchemy and astrology on 

 the same level as chemistry and astronomy. There is reason 

 to believe that the future will witness the combination of 

 disciplines now thought to be independent, and the separa- 

 tion of disciplines now thought to be united. It seems inev- 

 itable that there should be a continued emergence of inter- 

 connecting sciences, such as physiological psychology and 

 bio-physics, and a progressive specialization such as has 

 already given rise to quantum physics, parasitology, and 

 ophthalmology. 



» Collected Works, Vol. I, par. 1.203. 2 Ibid., par. 1.180. 3 Ibid., par. 1.203. 



