Abstraction

Abstraction in its main sense is a conceptual process by which general rules of inference and concepts are derived from the usage and classification of specific examples, literal ("real" or "concrete") signifiers, first principles, or other methods.

Description

"An abstraction" is the product of this process — a concept that acts as a super-categorical noun for all subordinate concepts, and connects any related concepts as a group, field, or category.

Conceptual abstractions may be formed by filtering the information content of a concept or an observable phenomenon, selecting only the aspects which are relevant for a particular purpose. For example, abstracting a leather soccer ball to the more general idea of a ball selects only the information on general ball attributes and behavior, eliminating the other characteristics of that particular ball.

In a type–token distinction, a type (e.g., a 'ball') is more abstract than its tokens (e.g., 'that leather soccer ball').

Abstraction in its secondary use is a material process.

See also

• Abstract and concrete
• Abstract interpretation
• Abstract labour and concrete labour
• Abstract structure
• Charles Sanders Peirce
• Concept
• Conceptual model
• Emergence
• Engaged theory
• First principle
• Gottlob Frege
• Hypostatic abstraction
• Inventor's paradox
• Leaky abstraction
• Lyrical abstraction
• Nucleophilic abstraction
• Object of the mind
• Phenomenon
• Platonic realism
• Reification (knowledge representation)
• Rule of inference
• Symbol

External links

• Abstraction @ Wikipedia