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« Knowledge development in time
In ILC, any array of regular classes is ordered, whenever possible, in a phylogenetic sequence. This means that (1) concepts different enough from those of existing classes are listed as a further class, and (2) classes appearing earlier in the evolution of phenomena are listed before classes appearing later. The sequence of appearance can have a logical, or a cosmological, or a historical meaning, according to its level: hundreds are listed before thousands; bacteria are listed before birds; bicycles are listed before motorcycles.
The sequence of classes within an array is represented by a sequence of lower-case letters between a and z. Such sequence reflects thus an order of appearance, usually also 
corresponding to increasing organization and sophistication. This agrees with acknowledged principles for helpful sequence like "later in time", "later in evolution", "increasing complexity" [1]:
... mf fungi mp plants mq animals
Here the sequence f, p, q carries at one time the morphological information that fungi, plants, and animals are three different varieties of a same phenomenon (m organisms); and the genetical information that they have presumably appeared in this order and are increasingly sophisticated (indeed, animals are on average more complex and autonomous than plants).
Notice that this does not imply that a class is derived from the previous one, ie that animals have emerged from plants. Plants and animals can be two independent branches in the evolution of organisms, with animals appeared later than plants. However, the reverse implication holds: if a class emerges from another one, it must be expressed by a higher letter that it (either the next one or any subsequent one). Mammals emerged from mqvl reptiles, and are represented by mqvt which is greater than mqvl, although another level mqvo (birds) is interposed between them — which does not mean that mammals emerged from birds. Derivation from a previous class can be expressed explicitly in schedules by the « sign: mqvt « mqvl.
A < B⇐B « AA < B⇏B « A
The very main classes of the system are themselves listed in a phylogenetic sequence. This is the sequence of the most general integrative levels of phenomena: the strata of forms, matter, life, mind, and culture, each with its own layers:
* anything [form stratum] a forms ... [matter stratum] d particles e atoms f molecules ... [life stratum] ... l cells m organisms n populations [mind stratum] o instincts p consciousness q signs ... [culture stratum] ... w artifacts x art works y knowledge ... ~ everything
While the identified strata are 5, the Roman alphabet offers symbols for 26 main classes. Probably this figure is not just a chance, but an effect of the natural futility point, that is, the number of objects that humans find comfortable to browse without need for grouping them into greater units [2]. A list of 100 main classes would be unpractical, a list of 5 main classes would be too simple. A notational system using the 26 letters from a to z looks quite suitable to express an appropriate number of main integrative levels. Therefore the ILC system begins directly by representing layers, still listed in the order of the strata to which they belong.
Of course, these are the levels that can presently be identified by human knowledge abilities. More levels could be identified later, especially towards the beginning of the series, and others aspects of reality could even rest unknown forever.
Some notes follow describing briefly the main level classes. Other notes are recorded in the scope note (SN) field of the schedule, viewable in the detailed display of every class.
* anything, ~ everythingWhile humans are able to identify the various levels in an analytical way, they feel that reality is a vaster whole, from which single levels are differentiated. This primigenious, undifferentiated whole has been described in various traditions by terms like brahma, Tao, apeiron, absolute: it can be represented generically by the symbol *, listed before levels, as being the "anything" prior and simpler than all levels.
Many traditions also view the series of levels as ascending towards a transcendent reality of full heigth and richness, someway containing all the previous levels: such could be the God of several religions, or the more abstract notion of "deity" standing at the top in some pyramidal models of levels [Ale20]. This "everything" transcending levels, whatever it may be, can be represented by the symbol ~, listed after all levels.
Both * and ~ cannot by definition be articulated into subclasses or facets. They are beyond direct knowledge, and can only be known intuitively or mystically (Spinoza calls this the "third kind of knowledge", after emotions and intellect). If attainable, they would be treated by religion as a discipline; but in practice, religion documents are only able to deal with the practice of religion itself, so they will be classified under it at z.
aVz worldA similar situation is there with ontology and general philosophy, which deal not with any specific phenomenon, rather with the set of all differentiated phenomena aVz. Indeed, disciplinary classifications like Bliss list philosophy first, before mathematics and the natural sciences, as the most general discipline. In a phenomenon classification, the content of philosophical documents could be listed under aVz "world"; however it can be more practical to list it under yy philosophy itself, as many of them actually discuss and comment philosophical theories. Documents of all remaining disciplines focus on specific phenomena, eg zoological documents on animals or sociological documents on societies, hence they should be listed under those phenomena unless their focus is the discipline itself (as in a history of sociology).
a formsThis class includes the abstract notions, such as those of set, relation, number, function, structure, system, network. They are general entities, which can be recognized in any kind of phenomena at the higher levels: there can be a relation between force and motion, as well as a relation between wealth and social status; there can be forty-two molecules, as well as forty-two symphonies. Most of mathematics and logic deal with them, although mathematics traditionally includes geometric entities (triangles, spheres) which must be listed at level b as they imply the notion of space, and classical logic includes elements of linguistics and rhetoric that lay at the higher levels of human faculties. A relevant notion in modern mathematics is that of algebraic structures, identified and described in terms of abstract entities, with can be manifested in any higher-level phenomenon, from the material to the cultural ones. General systems, as described by system theory, also belong to the level of forms.
b spacetime[to be written]
c energy[to be written]
d particles[to be written]
e atoms[to be written]
f molecules[to be written]
g bodies[to be written]
h celestial objects[to be written]
i weather[to be written]
j lands[to be written]
k genes[to be written]
l cells[to be written]
m organisms[to be written]
n populations[to be written]
o instincts[to be written]
p consciousness[to be written]
q signs[to be written]
r languages[to be written]
s communities[to be written]
t organizations[to be written]
u economies[to be written]
v technologies[to be written]
w artifacts[to be written]
x art works[to be written]
y knowledge[to be written]
z religion[to be written]
1: Prolegomena to library classification # 3. Chapter FA / SR Ranganathan ; MA Gopinath : assistance – SRELS : Bangalore : 1967 » (DLIST) – University of Arizona <http://dlist.sir.arizona.edu/1151/07/ProlegomenaF.pdf> : 2007-
2: Searching biases in large interactive document retrieval systems / DC Blair = Journal of the American society for information science. 17: 1980. 3. P 271-277
Integrative Level Classification. Structure. Arrays of levels / Claudio Gnoli – ISKO Italy : <http://www.iskoi.org/ilc/book/arrays.php> : 2009.04.09 - 2011.07.29 -
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