In meta-utopia, the lab-coated guardians of epistemology sit down and rationally map out a hierarchy of ideas, something like this:
Nothing:
Black holes
Everything:
Matter:
Earth:
Planets
Washing Machines
Wind:
Oxygen
Poo-gas
Fire:
Nuclear fission
Nuclear fusion
“Mean Devil Woman” Louisiana Hot-Sauce
In a given sub-domain, say, Washing Machines, experts agree on sub-hierarchies, with classes for reliability, energy consumption, color, size, etc.
This presumes that there is a “correct” way of categorizing ideas, and that reasonable people, given enough time and incentive, can agree on the proper means for building a hierarchy.
Nothing could be farther from the truth. Any hierarchy of ideas necessarily implies the importance of some axes over others. A manufacturer of small, environmentally conscious washing machines would draw a hierarchy that looks like this:
Energy consumption:
Water consumption:
Size:
Capacity:
Reliability
While a manufacturer of glitzy, feature-laden washing machines would want something like this:
Color:
Size:
Programmability:
Reliability
The conceit that competing interests can come to easy accord on a common vocabulary totally ignores the power of organizing principles in a marketplace.