Science. 1974 Sep 27;185(4157):1115-23. doi: 10.1126/science.185.4157.1115.
There is an intimate interrelation between principles and procedures in classification, and modern work in this field has been profoundly affected by the development of electronic computers. Besides the delineation of natural systems and the achievement of economy of memory and ease of manipulation, the primary purpose of classification is the description of the structure and relationship of groups of similar objects. Successful classifications generate scientific hypotheses, although much classificatory work has applied, practical goals. The acceptance of polythetic taxa is a major conceptual advance and has directly led to classifications based on many, equally weighted characteristics. The specification of data for classification by computer will enhance objectivity but not eliminate cultural and subjective biases. Techniques of classification include cluster analysis and ordination, and numerous ways of representing classifications have been elaborated recently. By the application of graph theory to some classificatory problems it has been possible to reconstruct evolutionary branching sequences. Computer classification has been successfully applied across a broad range of disciplines.
分类学中的原则和程序之间存在着密切的相互关系，而该领域的现代工作深受电子计算机发展的影响。除了自然系统的描绘和记忆经济以及操作简便的实现外，分类的主要目的是描述相似对象群体的结构和关系。成功的分类产生科学假设，尽管许多分类工作都适用于实际目标。多型分类单元的接受是一个重大的概念进步，并且直接导致了基于许多同等加权特征的分类。通过计算机对分类数据的指定将提高客观性，但不会消除文化和主观偏见。分类技术包括聚类分析和排序，并且最近已经详细阐述了许多分类表示方法。通过将图论应用于某些分类问题，可以重建进化分支序列。计算机分类已成功应用于广泛的学科。
