Joy London reminds us that To Classify is Human with a piece on taxonomies in law firms.
Call it evolution. Or intelligent design for that matter. Call it what you want. We can't help but classify.
I've been seeing the positive sides of taxonomies and the more free-form end of the classification spectrum, but the importance of formal taxonomies cannot be lost either. There is a wide set of knowledge embedded in a taxonomy. Joy also highlights the difficulty of coming up with a good taxonomy, and she acknowledges the importance of flexibility and ability to morph as the body of knowledge grows and shifts.