What is an abstraction?Everyone at least once in his life heard the term, but not everyone knows exactly what he means.In modern science, it is assumed that abstraction is a kind of process of knowledge of the external world, during which there is a distraction from any non-essential features and aspects of the phenomenon (or object) in order to be able to allocate substantial and regular signs.
a result of this distraction comes the generalization of facts and selection of important patterns.
What is an abstraction?A brief historical sketch
word "abstraction" in Latin means "a distraction."For the first time this term was proposed by Aristotle.So what is the abstraction?Aristotle believed that the reception is a subjective thinking, one-sided knowledge and study of reality.By the way, the philosopher argued that it creates an abstract science.After all, science and philosophy - is the generalized concepts that are impossible without abstract thinking.Unfortunately, the theory of the famous philosopher has not found acceptance.
In the next few centuries, philosophers and scientists believed that abstraction - the so-called universal.Once on change of religion and theology came true science, rely on the results of research, this concept has acquired a different meaning.It was believed that abstraction - it's just a mental feature of human intelligence which could not otherwise know the indivisible nature of things.
In the early twentieth century, the opinions of scholars at the expense of abstract thinking went.Some consider it a feature of consciousness, while others argue that this form of knowledge is of great importance in the life of every human being.
abstract concepts and abstraction
believed that abstract concept - it is the highest form of generalized thinking.To begin with consciousness allocates sensual properties of the object, and then slowly moves to the identification and analysis of its sensuous forms.Thus, abstract properties of any objects determined after the analysis of the relationship between them, a certain connection.It is believed that the highest form of generalization helps to highlight the increasingly important and essential features of any things.
mental abstraction called the selection of certain characteristics of the elements of the same set.Thus, consciousness is not only can identify some important, basic properties, but also to predict some yet unknown laws.
forms of abstract thinking
just a few thousand years of studying this form of human knowledge were identified certain types of abstraction.For example, if we talk about the purpose of the generalized perception, we can distinguish the following types:
- formal abstraction - is the process of thinking, in which the human mind identifies those characteristics of the subject, which in itself can not exist.As an example, the shape or color of the item.It's interesting that so little children assimilate knowledge.Formal abstraction is the basis of theoretical thinking.
- Meaningful abstraction - during the study of the subject stand out relatively independent properties.For example, isolated cells of the body (which are in themselves) as a part of its structure.
There are other types of abstract cognition:
- Sensual, or primitive, abstract - in the process of human cognition highlights some properties of one object while ignoring the rest.For example, a person produces the color, but do not take into account the shape.
- generalizing abstraction - during the study focus is only on the general properties of objects when it is some individual features are discarded.
In fact, it is difficult to give a definite answer to the question of what is an abstraction.After summarizing the processes of thinking can be quite diverse and versatile.
