Work Classification Layer
Compare Works
Pick two or more works to set their attribute fingerprints, dimension-by-dimension passages, and shared school embodiments side by side. Especially useful for author-stage comparisons (Wittgenstein early vs late) and for setting a single tradition's foundational texts against each other.
Experiments and Observations on Electricity
Franklin's 1751 collected electrical letters — founding work of American natural science
Attribute Fingerprint
Rows where works disagree are highlighted in gold. The full ontology grid is shown.
| Attribute | Experiments and Observations on Electricity (Mid) |
|---|---|
| Time · Extent | Infinite |
| Time · Ontological Status | Substantival |
| Time · Grain | Continuous |
| Time · Freedom | Deterministic |
| Time · Traversability | Linear |
| Time · Dimensionality | One |
| Time · Direction | Uni-directional |
| Space · Extent | Infinite |
| Space · Ontological Status | Substantival |
| Space · Curvature | Flat |
| Space · Dimensionality | Three |
| Space · Locality | Local |
| Matter · Extent | Infinite |
| Matter · Ontological Status | Substantival |
| Matter · Conservation | Conserved |
| Matter · Dimensionality | Three |
| Matter · Locality | Local |
| Observer · Time Instance | Single |
| Observer · Space Instance | Single |
| Observer · Knowledge Extent | Partial |
| Observer · Knowledge Retainment | Total |
| Observer · Physicality | Embodied |
| Observer · Agency | Active |
| Observer · Number | Plural |
| Observer · Metaphysical Agency | Personal |
| Observer · Moral Authority | Reason |
| Observer · Theological Method | — |
| Energy · Extent | Infinite |
| Energy · Ontological Status | Substantival |
| Energy · Conservation | Conserved |
| Energy · Dispersibility | Irreversible |
| Information · Ontological Status | Substantival |
| Information · Cosmic Conservation | Conserved |
| Information · Personal Conservation | Conserved |
| Information · Granularity | Continuous |
Dimension-by-Dimension Evidence
What each work's passages reveal about its stance on each of the six dimensions.
Time
Experiments and Observations on Electricity
The 1747-50 period of Franklin's experimental work; the 1751 first publication.
Space
Experiments and Observations on Electricity
Philadelphia and the Atlantic natural-philosophical correspondence.
Matter
Experiments and Observations on Electricity
The electrical phenomena Franklin observed; the apparatus he used.
Observer
Experiments and Observations on Electricity
Franklin the experimental natural philosopher as proper observer.
Energy
Experiments and Observations on Electricity
The electrical-fluid energies Franklin investigated.
Information
Experiments and Observations on Electricity
The empirical-theoretical content of the electrical letters.
Internal Tensions
Where each work's argument pulls against itself.
The "single fluid" theory has been variously assessed historically; superseded by Maxwell's electromagnetic field theory but Franklin's contribution remains foundational.