by Danna Martínez
Each technological advance allows the human being to have a greater scope of information globally. In fact, the technology and the knowledge itself have been registered by society and stored in different media; among them, one of the most important is the Encyclopedia.
The term encyclopedia comes from the Greek phrase kýkloi payéia. The meaning of this phrase is “education in cycle or panoramic.”
The Encyclopedia offers diverse and inexhaustible archives on diverse knowledge. Diderot and D’Alembert published the first edition of the Encyclopedia between 1751 and 1772. The time when this method of recording flourished is not alien to the time when it emerged. Towards the 18th century, Europe underwent a significant change and was the main summit of reflection and liberation of ideas. Thanks to the popularization and the emergence of ideas, people began to collect knowledge and translate it into books.
One of the best-known encyclopedias today is Wikipedia. This virtual Encyclopedia was born in 2001 with a participatory approach. This means that any user can correct or alter the content of the Encyclopedia. This feature allows content to be updated in relation to time. Some other currently known encyclopedias are:
- World Book Encyclopedias
- Encyclopedia Britannica
- Free Universal Encyclopedia in Spanish.
- Great Encyclopedia of Spain.
- Espasa Encyclopedia.
- World Digital Library.
The Encyclopedia played an essential role in the age of the Enlightenment. The knowledge understood at this time, and authors collected the explosion of ideas in its minority. For some authors, the Encyclopedia was a look that illuminated the emergence and development of reason. For others, the Encyclopedia proved the falsehood of superstitions.
In any case, the Encyclopedia strengthened ideas of human advancement.
The data exposed in the encyclopedias are primarily general knowledge. Greeks used to use encyclopedias to refer to the human, scientific and artistic education of society. In other words, the Encyclopedia brings together a broad set of sciences and their ramifications. The Encyclopedia is similar to the dictionary in some ways. However, the Encyclopedia provides a more detailed description of the terms than the dictionary itself.
Despite its extensive content, the Encyclopedia has some rules, classifications, and characteristics. Among which are:
- The Encyclopedia collects information in alphabetical or thematic order, with terms or names.
- The Encyclopedia’s approach is universal, not specialized or subjective.
- The fundamental parts of the Encyclopedia are; cover, main page, index, maps, subtopics, keywords, guide words, yearbooks, and bibliography.
Before the invention of the Internet, encyclopedias were purely printed. Contemporary encyclopedias, imprinted or virtual, are written by various contributors. This type of writing contains a complete description and detailed information on multiple areas of knowledge.
Printed encyclopedias are rare today. However, thanks to encyclopedias, millions of events have been recorded in history. Many of these records are what we find when we search for something in our browser.
Encyclopedias have become a fundamental tool for research, study, and general learning.
About Author
