The New International Encyclopaedia
Written by Daniel Coit Gilman,Harry Thurston Peck,Frank Moore Colby
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Themes, characters and key ideas in The New International Encyclopaedia, written by Chaptra AI.
- about 500 hours
- advanced
- informative
- scholarly
- authoritative
The New International Encyclopaedia is a monumental multi-volume reference work published in the early 20th century, aiming to provide a comprehensive and authoritative compendium of human knowledge. Edited by prominent scholars of its time, it covers a vast array of subjects from arts and sciences to history, biography, and geography, reflecting the intellectual landscape and prevailing understanding of the world during its publication era. It served as a crucial resource for education, research, and general information, embodying the era's ambition to systematically organize and disseminate knowledge.
“An encyclopaedia is not merely a dictionary of facts, but a digest of knowledge, so arranged as to be useful to the general reader and to the specialist.”
Key themes
- The Nature and Organization of Knowledge
- This encyclopaedia embodies humanity's enduring quest to categorize, define, and make accessible the sum of its knowledge. It reflects a belief that all information can be systematically organized and presented in a coherent, logical structure, emphasizing the power of classification and alphabetic order as tools for intellectual mastery.
- Objectivity vs. Bias in Historical Record
- While striving for objectivity, the encyclopaedia inevitably reflects the biases, cultural norms, and scientific understanding of its time (early 20th century). It provides a fascinating case study in how historical records, even those intended as purely factual, are shaped by the perspectives of their creators.
- The Pursuit of Truth and Authority
- The encyclopaedia represents a collective human effort to document and disseminate 'truth' as understood by the leading scholars and experts of its era. It underscores the value placed on academic authority and rigorous research as the foundation for reliable information, contrasting with more individualistic or subjective forms of knowledge.
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How does 'The New International Encyclopaedia' reflect the intellectual and cultural biases of the early 20th century?
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