Background for abstractions

abstractions

/æbˈstrækʃənz/ /əbˈstrækʃənz/

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noun

The act of abstracting, separating, withdrawing, or taking away; withdrawal; the state of being taken away.

Examples :

"Her abstractions from the conversation were noticeable, as she kept staring out the window during the meeting. "

mind philosophy theory abstract being quality

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noun

A separation from worldly objects; a recluse life; the withdrawal from one's senses.

Examples :

""After years of living in busy cities, she longed for the abstractions of a quiet cabin in the woods, away from the noise and demands of modern life." "

philosophy mind soul religion abstract

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noun

The act of focusing on one characteristic of an object rather than the object as a whole group of characteristics; the act of separating said qualities from the object or ideas.

Examples :

"Abstraction is necessary for the classification of things into genera and species."

philosophy mind theory logic abstract

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noun

Any characteristic of an individual object when that characteristic has been separated from the object and is contemplated alone as a quality having independent existence.

Examples :

"When discussing fairness and equality, we often deal with abstractions like justice and freedom, rather than specific instances of these ideals in someone's life. "

philosophy mind theory abstract being

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noun

A member of an idealized subgroup when contemplated according to the abstracted quality which defines the subgroup.

Examples :

"The students' understanding of "perfect teamwork" was an abstraction; they focused on the idealized cooperation rather than the messy realities of working together. "

philosophy abstract being logic

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noun

The act of comparing commonality between distinct objects and organizing using those similarities; the act of generalizing characteristics; the product of said generalization.

Examples :

"The teacher used abstractions to explain the similarities between different types of triangles, helping students understand the general concept of shape. "

mind philosophy logic abstract science theory

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noun

An idea or notion of an abstract or theoretical nature.

Examples :

"to fight for mere abstractions."

abstract philosophy mind theory

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noun

Absence or absorption of mind; inattention to present objects; preoccupation.

Examples :

"Her abstractions in class often meant she missed important instructions from the teacher. "

mind philosophy

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noun

An abstract creation, or piece of art; qualities of artwork that are free from representational aspects.

Examples :

"The museum displayed several modern paintings consisting solely of colors and shapes, pure abstractions meant to evoke feelings rather than depict reality. "

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noun

A separation of volatile parts by the act of distillation.

Examples :

"The chemist studied the various abstractions collected during the distillation of the plant matter, hoping to isolate a new medicinal compound. "

chemistry substance process

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noun

An idea of an idealistic, unrealistic or visionary nature.

Examples :

"His plans for world peace were beautiful abstractions, but lacked practical steps to be implemented. "

mind philosophy theory abstract

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noun

The result of mentally abstracting an idea; the product of any mental process involving a synthesis of: separation, despecification, generalization, and ideation in any of a number of combinations.

Examples :

"Programming often involves creating abstractions; for example, a "button" on a screen is an abstraction of many lines of code and complex electronic processes, simplified for the user to easily click. "

mind philosophy abstract logic

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noun

The merging of two river valleys by the larger of the two deepening and widening so much so, as to assimilate the smaller.

Examples :

"Geologists studying river formations observed abstractions where larger, more powerful rivers had completely overtaken and absorbed smaller, less developed river valleys over time. "

geography geology environment nature

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noun

Examples :

"Instead of worrying about the specific number of students in each class, the school principal used abstractions like "average class size" to understand the school's overall staffing needs. "

theory technology computing science system logic abstract technical philosophy education

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noun

Any intellectual construct produced through the technique of abstraction.

Examples :

"The programmer used abstractions to simplify the complex workings of the software. "

mind philosophy theory logic abstract science education